Halfway Around the World
by Driftingthought
Summary: B.A.P has booked their tour in America! What strange, crazy, amazing, hilarious things will happen to them while they're in the capital of the world?
1. To America!

Halfway Around the World

Ever since the completion of their newest album two weeks' prior, the six members of B.A.P had been watching their touring schedule with baited breaths, waiting to book a part of their tour in the capital of the world: America. After releasing two albums and working night and day on their choreography, they were finally being rewarded for all their hard work. Now it was happening. They were going to the land of opportunity — the place of every K-pop idol's dream. They were going to America.

Bang Yongguk couldn't help smiling as he called Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, Jongup, and Zelo into the living room. They all sat down, expectantly nervous since they probably thought that dance practice was going to resume again despite the fact that they had just finished a five-hour session.

"What's up, Yongguk?" Himchan asked.

"Are we in trouble?" Zelo asked.

Yongguk laughed. "Not even close." He leaned toward the group and lowered his voice. "Guess what?"

Now the group looked excited. They leaned closer.

"What?" Daehyun asked.

"We're going to America," Yongguk said.

The looks on his team's faces were just as he had expected. Right away, Zelo jumped up with a huge smile, repeating, "We're going to America!" as he started dancing. Soon Daehyun was up also, dancing next to Zelo and singing the chorus to "Warrior." Moments later, everyone else was on their feet in a celebratory dance which shook the ground and rattled the walls as they bellowed the lyrics to "Warrior" alongside Daehyun. They sang two more songs before exhaustion finally overtook the group and they crashed to the ground, still laughing and excited.

"So when do we leave?" Jongup asked.

Yongguk's smile faltered for a moment. "Well, that's the bad news, guys. We're leaving tonight."

Daehyun, Jongup, Youngjae, and Himchan froze as though paused by a television remote. Zelo, who was on his feet and dancing again, looked at Yongguk in horror, banged his leg against the side of the couch, and crashed to the floor. No one even checked to see if he was okay. "WHAT?!" they all shouted.

"Tonight?" Youngjae sputtered, having been right in the middle of a drink off his water bottle and spraying the rest of group as a result.

Himchan was on Youngjae in an instant, pinning him to the ground as payback for soaking the entire team. "What time do we need to be at the airport?" Himchan asked.

"We've got to be there at seven. Plane leaves at eight," Yongguk said. He looked over at Himchan and saw that he was performing some quick calculations in his head.

"That only gives us six hours to get ready!" Himchan said, letting Youngjae up after knocking his head a few times. "We need to shower and pack and then get our makeup and hair done, which takes three hours at least. Well," he corrected, "it'll take you guys three hours. It'll only take me one hour or so since there's not much makeup artists can do to improve this perfect face." Himchan took the pose of a model, then relaxed and continued. "We'll also need . . . "

"The flight's pretty long, Himchan," Yongguk reminded him before he could continue any longer about his appearance. "We can get our hair and makeup done then."

"We still need to pack," Jongup said.

"And shower," Daehyun said. "Thanks for the spray, Youngjae."

"Hey, I made you guys smell better!" Youngjae said. "Five hours on the dance floor certainly doesn't improve your odor!"

"I just hope our manager gets everything important," Zelo said.

"Like our mics," Jongup said.

"And concert clothes," Himchan said.

"And makeup," Youngjae said.

"And reservations for the hotel we're staying at," Yongguk said.

"And food," Daehyun said.

They all looked at him.

"What?" Daehyun said defensively. "Food's delicious and awesome!"

"Food's your one true love," Youngjae snorted, getting him a hit from Daehyun.

"But wow, think about how much our manager does for us," Zelo said. "I'm glad I'm not the manager."

"Come on, we do our part," Himchan said. "We practice all day."  
"And all night," Youngjae groaned.

"But it's worth it, right, guys?" Jongup breathed. "We're finally going to America."

The excitement was back, but as the six of them were all too tired to get up and dance again, they satisfied themselves by taking a cue from Zelo and bouncing up and down on the floor.

"We're going to America, all right," Yongguk said. "We're the best. Because we are . . . " he began.

"B.A.P, yes, sir!" everyone finished.


	2. Arrival

"Hurry up and get out of the bathroom!" Youngjae shouted. "I need to shower!"

"Okay!" Daehyun yelled back. "Give me a second!"

Yongguk glanced over at Himchan sitting next to him and smiled. Everything was just as it normally was. While he and Himchan were already packed, showered, and ready to go, the other four were still running around, naturally waiting until the last minute to get everything done.

"I'll give them ten seconds before they need something," Yongguk said.

"I'll give them twenty," Himchan muttered.

"Why so long?" Yongguk asked, frowning.

"Because I want to be able to sit down," Himchan huffed. "It's always like this. Can't they even —"

Suddenly, a screech came from the bathroom.

"What are you doing?!" Youngjae was shouting. "That's _my_ toothbrush!"

"What are you talking about?" Daehyun shouted back. "This is the blue one!"

"No it's not! It's teal!" Youngjae yelled.

"Well, excuse me for not being able to tell the difference between blue and off-blue!"

And somehow, at the same time, a similar yell came out of the bedroom.

"Jongup, that's my shirt! Don't wear it; you'll stretch it!" Zelo said.

"No, it isn't, Zelo," Jongup replied calmly. "It's from the left side of the closet. My clothes are on the left side."

"Which is my side as of last week!" Zelo said, his voice continually rising in volume while Jongup's voice was becoming quieter and quieter by comparison. "See, it has a mark on the tag! That means it's mine!"

"That's wrong, Zelo," Jongup said. "See, I caused this tear right here when I was practicing last week — "

"You mean when _I_ was practicing last week!"

Himchan was practically breathing smoke now. With a smile disguised as a sigh, Yongguk patted Himchan on the back and leaned in close to him. "I'll take Zelo and Jongup if you take Daehyun and Youngjae."

With a curt nod, Himchan stood up and made his way toward the line of battle. Yongguk stood up as well and walked into the bedroom. The closet door was open, a hanger was on the floor, and Jongup held a shirt in his hand with a look of annoyance while Zelo sat on a nearby bed, arms folded and apparently sulking. "What's going on?" Yongguk asked calmly.

Zelo immediately launched into the accusations. "Yongguk-hyung, it's my shirt! He took it and if he wears it, he'll stretch it out!"

"Zelo, this has always been my side of the closet," Jongup said. "Yongguk-hyung, Zelo's wrong. This is my shirt and I need to finish packing."

Yongguk held up his hand to stop the flow of accusations, mainly to silence Zelo before he had a tantrum. "Last week we bought new clothes, remember? And because they were for our promotion that day, we had to hang them up to keep them nice. We had to make room in the closets and do some rearranging so our new clothes would fit, so a similar shirt or two might have been shuffled in with someone else's clothes accidentally. So, now, both of you are right."

Both Zelo and Jongup had on similar expressions of confusion, so Yongguk continued to clarify. "Zelo's correct; three days ago we had to put his clothes on the left side of the closet. See, there's the jacket he wore in our last music video," Yongguk pointed it out, and he could see that both of them were nodding.

"But what about my shirt . . . " Zelo began.

"This is Jongup's shirt, Zelo. The last time you wore your shirt, you took it off after practice and got a smudge of hair dye on the collar, remember?" Yongguk took the shirt from Jongup and turned the collar inside out. "No stain here. And if Jongup's shirt is accidentally hanging in _your_ side of the closet, Zelo, that means your shirt is in Jongup's side."

Yongguk proved his point by walking over to the other side of the closet and flipping through Jongup's clothing before he came across an identical shirt which did, indeed, have a stain of red dye on the collar. He took the shirt off the hanger and handed it to a beaming Zelo.

"Thanks, hyung!" they both said, instant friends again now that the disagreement had been settled. Right away, Zelo put an arm around Jongup's shoulders and pushed him a few times. Jongup pushed back with a smile, then the two of them started right into dancing despite the fact that there was no music.

Yongguk chuckled and walked out of the bedroom at the exact same moment Himchan came out of the bathroom. Yongguk held out his fist to Himchan, and Himchan bumped it with his fist.

"Victory," Himchan sighed.

" 'B.A.P, fighting, ' " Yongguk snorted.

"If only they knew how true that saying actually was," Himchan groaned, falling down on the couch next to Yongguk for the third time that day.

"At least it'll only be a half-hour more of this," Yongguk said. "Then we'll have to be in the car and on our way to the airport even if we just stepped out of the shower."

"Wouldn't the fans love that," Himchan muttered.

"It's all right. They're almost packed," Yongguk said.

"Yeah," Himchan said. "Maybe now I can finally get some sleep — "

"Hey, why are Jongup's jeans in my dresser drawer?" Daehyun yelled.

Himchan let out an exasperated sigh, and Yongguk couldn't help laughing as he watched his friend get up to solve yet another case involving their team members' possessions.

Just then, Zelo and Jongup came out of the bedroom, each hauling large bags over their shoulders. "Hi, Yongguk-hyung," they panted, setting their bags in front of the couch Yongguk was lying on.

"Hey, Zelo, Jongup," Yongguk said. "You two got everything?"

Jongup nodded, and Zelo smiled. "Yup."

Yongguk's eyes narrowed. Zelo was infamous for always forgetting something during a trip. This couldn't be the time he actually remembered everything. "Really, Zelo? You got your clothes and shoes?"

"Uh-huh."

"A good set of tennis shoes and dancing shoes?"

"Yeah."

"Sunglasses and some sort of hat or hoodie?"

Zelo's smile widened. "Yes, hyung."

"How about your passport?"

At this, Zelo blanched. "Oh, no! I almost forgot that!" And with that, he ran back into the bedroom to get what he'd almost forgotten.

Yongguk settled back on the couch with a chuckle. Moments later, Daehyun and Youngjae, both carrying large bags and being ushered in by Himchan, walked into the living room. Then Zelo came running out of the bedroom, breathless and triumphantly gripping his passport in his hands.

"I'm here, hyungs," he panted.

Himchan glanced at Yongguk and Yongguk nodded. Then Himchan faced the group and recited the list of things they needed to take with them.

"Our manager will take care of our concert clothes as well as our makeup, so we don't need to worry about those things. Does everyone have clothes? Disguises? Toothbrushes and any other toiletries? Passports and phones? Two sets of shoes? Wallets?"

Everyone nodded. Then Himchan turned to Daehyun. "Snacks?"

Daehyun smiled and patted the front part of his bag that was bulging with what Yongguk knew to be food. At this, everyone laughed.

"Then let's go," Yongguk announced, getting up and leading the way outside to the car.

"To America!" they all shouted. "B.A.P!"

"All right, everyone. Out of the car!"

Yongguk groaned and opened his eyes, punching Himchan on the shoulder to wake him up.

"We at the airport?" he asked sleepily.

"That's right," Youngjae called from the backseat. "And so are the fans."

Jongup groaned. "Don't they ever sleep?"

"Do we?" Yongguk asked.

"Good point."

"All right, guys," Himchan announced. "Time to put disguises on!"

For the next few seconds, there were the sounds of rustling as everyone pulled up hoods, put on hats and sunglasses, and placed bandanas over their mouths and noses. They did this to disguise themselves so that they wouldn't get mobbed by fans, though it usually didn't help much since the fans seemed to know where they would be before they themselves even knew. Still, any help was a plus.

"I'm a little hungry," Daehyun said, cramming several pretzels into his mouth. "Does anyone want some snacks?"

"No, Daehyun," they all answered.

"Come on, we'd better get going," Yongguk said, opening the door of the car.

"Your idol has arrived," Himchan announced as he climbed out after Yongguk.

As the six of them got out, they were greeted by an upsurge of noise created by at least two hundred fans swarming around their car like bees. B.A.P raised their hands in greetings to the fans, but Yongguk and the others made sure to keep moving. If they stopped, they'd never make it to the airport in one piece. Pushing the doors to the airport open, they entered, and Yongguk was amazed at how many fans were inside the airport itself to greet them. The crowd rushed at them, all holding either cell phones or cameras to take pictures, and Yongguk was glad that several police officers had tagged along to keep them safe. As B.A.P continued to their flight, the fans followed like stalkers, shouting stupid questions and comments like,

"Are you single?"

"Can you take your shirt off?"

"Blow me a kiss!"

"Oh, he looked at me! He's so hot!"

The crowd surged forward once again as Himchan turned and winked at a nearby fan to increase their publicity. Yongguk glanced behind him to make sure the rest of his team was there, but he instinctively knew not to worry. During times like this when the fans were on the brink of going crazy, the six of them stuck together like a phalanx and didn't dare break stride. The four of them were there: Daehyun was still eating, Jongup wasn't looking anywhere but straight ahead, Zelo was walking in a focused yet somehow still carefree manner, and Youngjae was busy poking Daehyun in the back for no reason whatsoever.

Yongguk shot a smile at Himchan, and Himchan smiled back and rolled his eyes as the fans let out more screeches and screams. Fortunately the fans couldn't follow them through security, so after they'd made it past that mark, everyone relaxed. They read their tickets, found their flight, and sat down in the deserted lineup of chairs, sagging with exhaustion.

"Those fans are going to kill us one day," Himchan said.

"I nearly got crushed by a group of girls right as we were leaving. They were all shoving cameras in my face and telling me to 'smile,' " Youngjae said. "I haven't seen that many cameras since we first debuted."

Yongguk shuttered. "I'm just glad that we don't have to worry about being filmed by a cameraman on this trip. I hate cameras."

"Yeah, they'll save that for the concert," Jongup snorted.

"Where's Daehyun?" Himchan asked.

The whole group turned as they saw Daehyun running toward them, and they stiffened since they thought that he was being chased by fans. But seeing Daehyun wave at them calmed their fears, and when he sat down in a chair next to them, the group waited for an explanation.

"Where'd you go?" Himchan asked.

"Sorry," Daehyun said, scratching his neck. "But I was so hungry!" Seconds later, Daehyun reached into his carry-on bag and produced a doughnut. "Anyone want some? It's pretty good."

"So that's what you were doing," Yongguk said.

Youngjae pushed the food away. "How can you be hungry now? I just want to sleep."

"How can you _not_ be hungry now?" Daehyun asked.

"Did anyone get any sleep before we left?" Jongup asked. "I know I didn't."

"I couldn't," Himchan growled.

"Neither could I," Zelo said brightly on the edge of his chair. "I was too excited!"

As everyone stretched and waited for their flight to be called, Yongguk made himself as comfortable as possible and closed his eyes. He was just starting to drift off to sleep when Himchan groaned next to him. Yongguk opened his eyes for a moment and saw Zelo in front of the nearly-sleeping Himchan. Zelo was busy tickling Himchan's nose with his finger, and moments later Himchan's eyes shot open and flashed.

"Don't, Zelo," he growled.

Zelo smiled warily and backed away, smart enough to know when his playfulness wasn't wanted. Yongguk smiled and closed his eyes again, humoring Zelo and allowing the youngest in the group to poke his face and annoyingly stroke his head before he finally pushed Zelo's hand away and made a move to bite Zelo's hand when it returned. Zelo laughed and moved on.

"Jongup-hyung," Zelo began. "Jongup-hyung."

"Hmm?" Jongup asked sleepily. "Hmm?" Then he groaned in a way that clearly stated that he preferred to keep sleeping.

"He's made it to Jongup," Yongguk whispered to Himchan.

"Jongup-hyung . . . "

"Five seconds," Himchan whispered back.

"Jongup-hyung. Jongup-hyungggg," Zelo sang.

"Three," Himchan muttered.

"Two," Yongguk said.

"One."

As if on cue, the entire seating arrangement lurched backward as Jongup shot up to face Zelo, his mouth set but his eyes glowing in playfulness. Zelo looked scared for a moment, then laughed as Jongup began chasing him down the hall. Zelo's weak apologies could be heard from where Yongguk was sitting, but Jongup would have none of it.

"Just don't kill him, Jongup," Himchan called out lamely after them.

"Yeah, he still needs to perform," Yongguk snorted.

Zelo's screeches became louder and louder until the group finally saw him running back toward them, sliding to a stop in front of their seats. He gasped, took a moment to catch his breath, then grinned at each of them in turn. "This is fun," he panted.

"Fun?" Jongup asked, running up behind Zelo and colliding with him to knock him down. "You need to apologize for waking me up!"

Zelo turned around to face Jongup, bowed, then looked up at Jongup with sorrowful eyes. "I'm sorry for waking you up, Jongup-hyung."

Jongup's frown quickly turned into a grin when he saw Zelo trying to appease him. Zelo started laughing, and Jongup followed suit. "Just don't do it again," Jongup joked, lightly punched Zelo's head.

" _Now boarding flight 23, direct from Seoul, Korea to Los Angeles, California_."

"That's us," Yongguk said.

"I don't understand why they need to announce the flight if we're the only ones on it. It was booked solely for us," Himchan said.

"I don't get it, either," Yongguk said.

"And I didn't get any sleep," Youngjae pouted.

"You'll be able to sleep on the plane," Daehyun said.

"Not with Zelo," Yongguk and Himchan said together.

Zelo, who was in the middle of dancing, paused and looked up. "Did you say something?"

With no more incidences, the six of them filed onto the plane and took their seats, giving one last wave to Korea before the plane took off ten minutes later.

"Bye, home," Daehyun said. "We'll see you soon."

"Yeah, we're on our way to America," Yongguk said. He glanced over at Himchan and punched him on the shoulder, then noticed that Jongup, sitting behind them, was looking exasperated, albeit good-naturedly. "What's wrong?"

"The one time I actually want to get up and get something from my carry-on, and . . . look!"

Yongguk looked and couldn't help smiling. Sitting next to Jongup was Zelo, and Zelo had fallen asleep against Jongup's knee so that it was impossible for Jongup to move without waking Zelo up.

"I guess he's getting back at you for chasing him," Youngjae said, turning around as well and looking at the scene behind them.

"Come on, that was his fault anyway," Jongup said. With a frown, Jongup turned to the

sleeping Zelo and held out a hand to slap him, but stopped just short and patted his head instead. "I can't stay mad at him," he sighed, settling back into his seat with a small smile. "He's just too cute."

"Too bad he knows it," Himchan said.

"Can you believe that he almost forgot his passport?" Yongguk said. "I had to remind him to

bring it."

"Good thing you did. We'd look pretty incomplete if we did the concert without him," Jongup said, still lightly patting Zelo's head.

"Besides, who could we count on keeping us up all night?" Youngjae said.

Everyone laughed, but quietly so as to not wake Zelo.

"How long is this flight supposed to take?" Daehyun asked.

"I don't know; I think they said seven or eight hours," Yongguk said. "Then we'll be in Los Angeles."

"I'll be stuck here for the next eight hours," Jongup said.

"Just pretend you're practicing locking," Himchan said. "If you work at it for the next eight hours, you'll be great by the time we land in America."

"And I'll have exhausted every muscle in my body and be unable to perform," Jongup said.

"Are you sure you guys don't want anything to eat or drink?" Daehyun asked, taking out a bag of chips and a can of soda and opening both.

"I'll have some soda," Jongup said.

Daehyun handed the soda over Zelo to Jongup, and after a sip off the drink Jongup took the soda can and lightly pressed the bottom of the can against Zelo's cheek. He pressed the can once more against Zelo's face before Zelo shifted and slowly opening his eyes.

"Are we there already?" Zelo muttered.

"Nope. Just eating," Jongup said.

"Really?" Zelo asked, sitting up with such energy that Yongguk was amazed that Zelo ever managed to sleep at all. "Are there any cherry tomatoes to eat?"

Daehyun's smile widened. "You don't think I would forget them, would you?" He pulled out a container and handed it to Zelo who was now squealing with delight.

"Cherry tomatoes!" he yelled with glee, eating them all with relish and only giving one to Jongup before eating the rest.

"Zelo, I know why your hair's red. It's because you eat so many cherry tomatoes," Jongup said.

Zelo smiled, popping another cherry tomato into his mouth. "If that's the case, then I'll have red hair when I'm eighty!"

Yongguk watched Zelo eating with such a passion that it made his own stomach growl. He turned to Himchan. "Seeing him eat makes me wish I had some ramen."

"Or some Korean barbecue," Youngjae said.

At Youngjae's words, all the boys in the group fell into a short silence as they contemplated the consumption of the best food in Korea. Even Zelo paused with a cherry tomato to his lips.

"Well, we'll have some barbecue once we get back from our tour," Himchan said to bring everyone out of their slight depression. "As a reward to ourselves for working so hard."

"Yeah, let's practice dancing so we can really earn it!" Zelo said. Before anyone could say anything, Zelo had pushed past Jongup and started dancing in the aisle, humming a simple tune that he could dance along to.

"Try this, Zelo," Jongup said, taking out his phone, selecting a song that everyone instantly recognized, and jumping up himself to dance beside Zelo.

" 'We got the power!' " they all sang.

"This was such a great song," Himchan said as the song continued playing.

"You got that right," Yongguk said. "And don't forget safe. We didn't get injured during the production of 'Power' like we did during 'One Shot.' "

"But my hand's fine now," Himchan said. "Is yours good, oh, great warrior?"

"I'm fine. Because, you know, we need to keep up our tough image," Yongguk said.

"You mean the toddler image," Youngjae snorted.

"What do you . . . " Yongguk turned to see what Youngjae was looking at. Zelo was in the aisle, in front of Jongup and dancing childishly to the ending of "Power." He was swinging his arms, bopping his head from side to side, and smiling in a way that in no way demonstrated the tough image they were trying to present to the public. "Zelo!" Yongguk said. "Stop that!"

Zelo stopped for a moment, his smile disappearing. Seconds later he was doing the same dance again, flashing Yongguk a quick apologetic smile as he continued. Yongguk couldn't help laughing.

"Come on, Zelo, get your image right!" Daehyun said, nudging his way to the aisle and taking the stance of a dancer. "Dance like we've got the power!" After saying this, Daehyun performed an amazing pirouette and jumped into the air, hitting the ground in splits fashion. Then the whole team heard a loud rip.

Daehyun was suddenly up from the floor, clutching the fork of his jeans while limping across the aisle with a look of pure horror on his face. Everyone else was roaring with laughter, and several of the members fell out of their seats.

"No!" he sputtered. "Guys, this isn't good! We're going to be in America in a few hours!"

"J-just get a new pair of jeans from your carry-on," Yongguk laughed out.

"I can't!" Daehyun said, now sounding even more frantic. "This was the only pair that was clean because Zelo didn't do the laundry before we left!"

"The fans will certainly get an eyeful then," Himchan said, still crippled with laughter.

Daehyun ran off to the bathroom then, leaving the rest of the team to compose themselves which took at least ten minutes.

"Do you think we should help him find some clothes to wear?" Youngjae asked once everyone had calmed down.

"No, our manager will handle it," Himchan said. "But if not, we can just lend him a pair of our jeans and never let him forget it."

"So, what do you think will be your favorite part of America?" Yongguk asked.

"Being able to perform," Himchan said.

"Seeing our fans," Jongup said.

"The beaches and the sights," Zelo said.

"What about you, Yongguk? What'll be your favorite part of America?"

Yongguk thought for a moment. "Just being there, I guess. It's an honor."

At that moment, Daehyun returned wearing a pair of black jeans.

"So the Great Daehyun returns," Youngjae said. "Who'd you have to bribe to get those jeans?"

Daehyun pushed his hair away from his face, laughing a little in an attempt to brush off his embarrassment. "I'm so glad that our manager thinks of everything. This was the pair of jeans that I wore for our 'Power' music video. I'm just glad that they fit well."

"Don't do any splits in them during performance," Youngjae said.

"Or else you'll be performing a concert that our fans will never forget," Yongguk said.

 _Attention, passengers_. _We will be arriving in America in ten minutes_. _Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts_.

"Wow, already?" Himchan said. "That was fast."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Yongguk said.

"And falling asleep," Jongup said, with a glance at Zelo.

"And eating," Himchan said, with a glance at Daehyun.

"And splitting your jeans," Youngjae laughed.

Yongguk smiled, but Daehyun looked so miserable that he punched Daehyun on the shoulder to cheer him up.

"Come on, everyone," Himchan said. "Buckle up."  
"And get out your passports," Yongguk added, glancing at Zelo.

Zelo smiled and waved his passport in the air.

The six of them extracted their passports from their wallets and buckled up. The plane landed soon after, and before they knew it they were being ushered off the plane by a group of American policemen. The six went through customs, then prepared themselves to present their image to the American fans who were at the airport.

"Well, this is it," Yongguk said loudly so everyone could hear him.

"We're about to meet our American fans," Himchan said.

"I wonder how many there'll be," Jongup said.

"But what if there aren't any?" Zelo asked.

Everyone paused, Zelo's having voiced everyone's greatest fear. What if they had booked a tour in America only to find out that only one or two fans had ever heard of them? Or worse, what if they didn't do well and lost fans because of that?

"We've done our best this far," Yongguk said to cheer everyone up. "The fans know that. I'm sure there are hundreds of them waiting for us in the airport." He paused and knuckled Zelo under the chin. "Be strong; we're warriors, remember?"

Zelo looked up at him, smiled, and nodded.

Yongguk nodded as well, swallowing his silent fear as he slowly descended the stairs that led to the public part of the airport. He looked through the glass windows to the other side of the airport and gasped.


	3. Fun and Fear

"What is it?" Himchan asked from behind him.

But Yongguk had no words, and as they all made their way to the bottom of the stairs and finally entered the main part of the airport, no one else had words to say, either.

Hundreds of fans was an understatement. Thousands upon thousands of fans crowded around the airport, and a scream loud enough to shatter a glass house rose up as the six of them opened the doors and stepped out onto the scene. Yongguk blinked and almost started crying from relief. They _did_ have fans. Many fans. Their hard work and hours on the dance floor had finally paid off, and now they were reaping the benefits. Emotion welling up inside him prevented Yonguuk from greeting the fans formally, so he said the only thing he could say due to hours of repeating it over and over on every Korean variety show they appeared on. "We are . . . " he began.

"B.A.P, yes, sir!"

Yongguk glanced over and saw his smile mirrored in every single one of his friend's faces. Zelo was practically jumping up and down in excitement, and for a moment he wanted to jump up and down as well, if only to demonstrate how happy he felt in knowing that he had made the right choice in becoming part of a Korean dance group. He had his family back in Korea, he had his friends right here, he had his fans in both countries, and he had his music always. Life was good.

As the fans surged forward, Yongguk worried that something might happen to their group, but then he remembered the several American policemen with them and relaxed. For a few moments, they all just stood there, drinking in both their American fans and the culture that surrounded them.

Then the questions started. A translator nearby provided the questions in Korean so the members could answer each question in turn. While some questions were good and a few were even interesting and thought-provoking, most were either silly or stupid. Back in Korea, Yongguk would've quickly become bored with the monotony of answering the question of, "Are you single?" one hundred times over, but the adrenaline rush of being in America for the first time kept him both excited and stimulated. The questions lasted for about forty-five minutes before their manager ended their fan chat and led them away from the crowd.

"It's great to be in America," Himchan said. He smirked. "Nearly every question directed at me was about my flawless features."

"I thought it was okay, but some of the questions were stupid," Jongup said. "I mean, come on. 'Zelo, why are you so happy all the time?' Gee, well, Zelo, I guess they're implying that you should act angry all the time."

"Well, why are you so quiet all the time?" Zelo asked teasingly, suddenly jumping on Jongup's back so that Jongup was forced to give him a piggyback ride for a few minutes before letting him down.

" 'Why do you eat so much, Daehyun?' Maybe because I'm hungry," Daehyun said. He sighed. "Well, at least they didn't ask why my jeans weren't matching yours."

"You could've just told them that it's because you're a rebel," Youngjae said, playfully hitting Daehyun on the side of the head.

Daehyun rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'm a rebel and Yongguk-hyung has more energy than Zelo."

"In his own way, he's got just as much energy," Himchan said defensively.

Yongguk smiled and punched Himchan on the shoulder. "I could just tell the fans the real reason that you weren't wearing matching jeans . . . " He laughed through Daehyun's glare, but Zelo was frowning.

"I didn't know what to say. 'Zelo, do you enjoy being the youngest in the group?' What should I say? Yes? No? I can't grow any older or faster than I already am, so . . . "

They all laughed at this, and Jongup put an arm around Zelo as they kept walking.

"All we have to do is get through the mob of fans, right?" Youngjae asked.

"Yeah, then we're home free," Jongup said.

"Free to see the sights and explore Los Angeles," Himchan said.

"And eat the food," Daehyun said.

Everyone snorted at this comment, and after pushing through the crowed Los Angeles airport, they were inside their manager's car and driving toward the hotel they were staying at. Once they arrived at the hotel, the police officers were dismissed since there was no immediate danger. Their manager left in his vehicle to go over their touring schedule once more, and B.A.P suddenly found themselves alone.

Yongguk checked the time. "It's noon, everyone. Our manager told me that we don't have to check into our hotel until six, so that gives us about five or so hours of free time."

"When's our first concert?" Himchan asked.

"The day after tomorrow. Six in the evening," Yongguk said.

"That doesn't give us much time to practice," Jongup said.

"It's okay; we've practiced enough. We know all the steps and the dances, so for now, let's just relax and enjoy the scenery," Himchan said, putting everyone at ease.

"How does American sun feel, everyone?" Yongguk asked as he put on his sunglasses and a baseball cap, everyone copying him to hide their identities from lurking fans.

"Rewarding," Youngjae said.

"Fulfilling," Jongup said.

"Relaxing," Himchan said.

"Exhilarating," Zelo said.

"I smell food," Daehyun said. "Can we go eat something?" He looked at everyone with an impressive imitation of Zelo's pleading look, and Yongguk glanced at Himchan.

"Well, it is noon," Yongguk began.

"That's right," Himchan said.

"Let's go eat," Yongguk and Himchan said together.

So they followed their noses to a food truck that specialized in several different types of cuisine. It was classic stuff that they had all eaten it before, but they couldn't resist trying it on authentic American soil. So they each got something different and passed it around to each other, trying a bite of the other's meal.

"These — what are they called? Fried curd cheese?" Youngjae said. "Yeah, they're good."

"I love a good cheesy burger. Try this; it's amazing," Himchan said.

"Corn dogs. Sweet, but salty," Jongup said.

"This is a good pork sandwich," Zelo said.

"This chicken on skewers is to die for," Yongguk said. "Almost like what you'd put on ramen."

Then they all looked at Daehyun, who had already wolfed down half his meal before looking up with a sheepish expression and offering them a bite of his food. "Fried fish," he mumbled out.

After trying each meal, everyone agreed that his own dish was the best. They continued to walk around Los Angeles, peering into any store that looked interesting.

"Do you guys want to try any American desserts while we're here?" Yongguk asked as they passed a chocolate shop.

The group wrinkled their noses at this comment, but Zelo's eyes lit up.

"Hey, Yongguk-hyung," Zelo said. "Do you think we could get some ice cream while we're here?"

Yongguk thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't see why not."

Zelo's walk took on a happier tone after that, and soon the entire team was practically skipping down the street. The day was going well, but it wasn't too long before trouble began. It all started because Jongup and Zelo were busy messing around. The two of them were dancing next to each other and decided to begin shoving the other around. Zelo pushed Jongup rather roughly, and Jongup responded in kind, shoving Zelo backward and forcing him to grab a light pole to regain his balance. Zelo swung around the lightpole and stopped himself abruptly, but because of the shock, his baseball cap fell off his head and revealed a mess of brightly dyed red hair.

Everyone froze for a moment. Zelo quickly reached down to place his disguise back on, but the damage was done. Yongguk heard a shout of,

"Look! It's Zelo!"

"Is that Youngjae?"

"It's B.A.P!"

And suddenly fans were flooding the streets like a dam that had been broken. They rushed B.A.P, and Yongguk instantly knew that they were in danger. These fans weren't like the ones in Korea. In Korea, there was an air of respect surrounding people who were famous, but in America, no such thing existed. Not only did they seem crazed with excitement, but since there were so many more people in America than in Korea, there were also many more fans.

Yongguk felt a pull on his sleeve and turned to see Himchan next to him, eyes wide with fright.

"Run!" Himchan yelled.

They all took off, Zelo in the lead because of his long legs, and Himchan in the back since he pushed the other members in front of him to protect them. The six of them kept running, but he felt the team falter and instinctively knew that Himchan had tripped and fallen. A bloodcurdling scream shot through the air, and Yongguk knew the fans had reached Himchan. He stopped and turned, roaring, "HIMCHAN!" as he and the four remaining members raced back to help their fallen comrade.

Yongguk pushed and shoved through the sea of fans, not caring who he injured or knocked over in the process. He blindly felt through the fans until his hand met Himchan's, and with a tug that was reminiscent of a true warrior, he pulled Himchan free while the others balled around him for protection as they pushed their way through the crowd. Suddenly they were free and running again, this time Yongguk taking the back position as they raced through the streets, running for their lives. As they passed a store front, Yongguk glanced into the store to see a janitor in the middle of putting his supplies away in a closet, and he suddenly had an idea.

"Go left into the store!" he yelled out.

The other five instantly complied, swinging the door open and running into the store, briefly slipping onto the still-wet floor until they came to stop in front of the janitor, who looked equally surprised and frightened.

Yongguk spoke a few words, cursing once he realized that the janitor didn't speak Korean. "Famous, us," he stumbled out in English. "Hide in . . . " He gestured to the closet that the janitor was closing up, and the janitor suddenly nodded in understanding. Just as the six were squeezing themselves into the closet and closing the door behind them, the team heard the store doors opening as several fans ran in.

"Where are they?" one girl asked.

"Did you see six boys come in here?"

"I saw nothing, ma'am," the janitor replied calmly. "But if you're not going to buy anything, I'm afraid I'll have to get the manager of this store to throw you out."

Yongguk pressed his face against the door, hearing the noise outside die down somewhat but not go away completely. "Himchan, are you all right?" Yongguk asked.

"Yeah, just a little bruised, I think. My shirt's torn, too," Himchan panted.

"Well, this is great," Daehyun muttered.

"What, the fans, or being shoved into this closet?" Jongup asked.

"No, Youngjae's elbow is poking me in the back," Daehyun complained.

"Your breath smells," Youngjae said.

Daehyun breathed harder, and Youngjae started coughing.

"I'm hot," Zelo whined, panting.

"Would you rather be out there, mauled by fans?" Himchan asked. "It's a good thing that Yongguk pulled me out when he did; one of the fans was pressing on my arm and about to break it." Himchan turned as best he could. "But enough about me. Is everyone else all right? Did the fans hurt any one of you?"

"No, Himchan-hyung," everyone answered.

Yongguk smiled. Even if Himchan was about to die, he would still make sure that everyone else was okay before passing on. He clapped Himchan on the shoulder and smiled at his friend. Himchan grinned back. Just then, the door to the closet opened.

"It's safe," the janitor announced.

"Thank you," they all said, bowing to show their gratefulness. The six of them left the store before purchasing a few objects to show their appreciation, then they moved on, Zelo's making sure his hat was secure before walking back outside.

"No more roughhousing, you two," Himchan said as they started walking again. "I was the one who had to pay for it, you know. Can you imagine what would've happened if those fans had damaged my beautiful face?"

Yongguk laughed at this comment, and Zelo re-secured his hat as he kept walking.

"Those fans chasing us made me wish I'd brought my skateboard," Zelo said.

"Why, so you could leave us in the dust while you made a break for it?" Daehyun asked.

"No, so I could hold their attention and give you guys some time to run," Zelo said. "That way Himchan wouldn't have gotten hurt."  
"Don't worry, Zelo," Himchan said with a smile. "I'm a warrior."

Yongguk nodded before turning to Jongup, and he only then noticed that Jongup was tossing a stuffed rabbit into the air as he walked beside Zelo. "Where'd you get that?"

Jongup blinked. "I picked it up when we were getting Himchan. I thought it was Himchan's, so I brought it with us."

Himchan grabbed the rabbit from Jongup, inspecting it. "That's not mine," he said. "I got a bear in leather, remember?"

"I thought you got it from a fan during our last tour," Jongup said. "Remember, when you were talking about being a professional dieter and . . . " Jongup's voice trailed off, but Daehyun finished Jongup's sentence for him.

"I remember that," Daehyun said. "Somebody threw Himchan that rabbit plush and told him to eat rabbit food."

Himchan blushed fiercely at this comment, quickly handing the rabbit back to Jongup. "You keep it," he muttered.

"Come on," Jongup said, shooting a glare at Daehyun while Youngjae hit Daehyun on the head. "You know he didn't mean that. It was just a joke — "

"Don't talk to me," Himchan said.

Zelo grabbed the rabbit from Jongup and began lightly hitting Jongup with it. " 'Don't talk to me! Don't talk to me!' " he said in a high voice that soon had everyone, including Himchan, laughing.

"Man, don't hit me so hard," Jongup complained, rubbing his head. "It feels like there's rocks in that thing!"

Zelo blinked. "What do you mean? It's just a stuffed animal."

"Well, you're being too rough with it. Stop hitting me," Jongup said.

Zelo shrugged and continued playing with the plush as they kept walking. The team stopped at three stores and two more food trucks before Daehyun sighed.

"What's wrong?" Youngjae asked. "Are you hungry again?"

"No, it's just . . . " Daehyun sighed again. "Of all the food I wanted to try in America, what I wanted to try the most was this deep fried onion thing. But we've been to three food places and I haven't seen it around! They don't have stuff like that in Korea — "

"Daehyun, keep your voice down," Yongguk said, silently motioning to a nearby sidewalk at where several girls were standing and looking at them as though they recognized them. "Do you want another fan mauling?"

The group of girls saw the six of them looking their way and laughed for a few moments, saying nothing.

Being as indiscreet as possible, the group turned around and casually began walking the other way, waiting until the girls had moved on before going the same way as before. Yongguk breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"How much more of this great city can we see before we'll have to go back to our hotel?" Himchan asked, leaning against a light pole as they waited to cross a street.

"It's only three o'clock," Yongguk said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "But Himchan, are you sure you're okay?"

Himchan looked slightly sweaty, but he shrugged and waved Yongguk away. "I'm fine, Yongguk. Don't worry. Just still getting over my adrenaline rush of almost being killed by fans."

As they waited for the light to turn red, Zelo and Jongup began roughhousing again. This time Zelo turned in a circle while holding the rabbit, forcing Jongup to dodge. Then suddenly, Zelo accidentally let go of the rabbit, flinging it in Himchan's direction.

Himchan dodged it with an irritated look. "Zelo, what — "

 _Clang_.

Everyone froze as they watched the plush rabbit fall to the ground after it hit the light pole Himchan had been leaning against.

"What was that?" Youngjae asked.

"Are stuffed rabbits supposed to make that sort of sound when they hit a lightpole?" Daehyun asked.

Yongguk picked up the stuffed rabbit with a frown, gently squeezing the rabbit all over before finally feeling something hard near the rabbit's eye. "Hey, Himchan," he said. "Come feel this."

Himchan squeezed the rabbit's head, blinking in surprise as he felt what Yongguk had felt. "What's in its eye?"

"I don't know," Yongguk said. "But I don't think it's supposed to be there."

"Does that mean I can rip it open?" Zelo asked.

Yongguk and Himchan nodded, and right away Zelo was repetitively slamming the bunny's head into the light pole. After a few hard thumps, the head came loose and fell off the body. Youngjae pulled the stuffing out of the rabbit's head, and something square fell out of the stuffing. The group stared.

"A camera?" Daehyun whispered.

"It does look like that," Himchan said, picking it up and squinting at it.

"Do you think it's recording or taking pictures?" Youngjae asked.

Yongguk gulped. "We can't take any chances." He took the camera from Himchan, threw it down on the ground, and stepped on the camera several times before it finally shattered.

"The things fans will do," Jongup said.

"I'm just glad that one of us didn't take that plush into the bathroom," Himchan said.

Everyone gulped at this thought, looking down again at the now-shattered camera.

"We've still got a few hours, everyone," Yongguk said to break the awkward silence. "Do you want to hit the beach?"

With a unanimous, "Yeah!" the team was off, and it only took five or so minutes to locate one of California's many beaches. Jongup began burying Zelo in sand right away, Daehyun and Youngjae started building a sandcastle fort to rule over, and Yongguk and Himchan busied themselves by running first toward and then away from the water as it ebbed and flowed on the beach.

"Cheese!" everyone shouted as Yongguk took a picture of them all an hour later.

"You look like an idiot, Daehyun," Youngjae said as he looked at the picture.

"Me?" Daehyun said as the group began walking off the beach. "What do you mean, me? Did you see your passport picture? You looked like you were about to sneeze!"

"Jongup looks like he's in the mafia in his picture," Youngjae said.

"No, I don't. They just told me to keep a straight face," Jongup said.

"Which makes it look like you're in the mafia," Daehyun said.

"And Himchan looks like he's growling at the camera in his passport," Yongguk laughed. "Or about to kill someone."

"You don't look so great yourself, Mr. Beautiful," Himchan joked.

"Well that doesn't . . . hey, Zelo, what's up?" Yongguk asked.

Zelo had been walking beside them the entire time, but now he was several feet behind the group and not moving, checking his pockets as he stood there, becoming more and more frantic with each passing second.

"Zelo, what's wrong?" Himchan asked, going back to Zelo and patting him on the back. "Are you hurt? Did the fans hurt you?"

"Did you lose something?" Jongup asked.

Zelo said nothing, but checked his pockets yet again. Then he took his wallet, opened every compartment inside, and turned the wallet upside down so that everything inside: money, change, and a receipt, fell to the ground. Next he was on the ground, furiously digging through the contents. Suddenly, all Zelo's movements stopped. He froze, then began shaking. When he looked up several seconds later, Yongguk was shocked to see that Zelo was crying.

"Zelo, what's wrong?" Himchan asked.

"I . . . " Zelo bit his lip and wiped his face. "I lost my passport," he whispered.


	4. Booming Onion

Yongguk's mind went blank, and the entire group stiffened. No passport? If he had no passport, then he might be mistaken for an illegal immigrant. What if he was imprisoned or kept from performing their American concert because he had no identification? What if he couldn't come back to Korea and ended up being stuck in America? What if he was expelled from B.A.P on accounts of being an imposter? Yongguk mutely turned to face Himchan, relieved to see that Himchan was already taking control of the situation.

"D-did you have it when we got on and off the plane?" Himchan asked.

"Yeah," Zelo muttered.

"Well, did you put it in your pocket after we got out of the airport?" Himchan asked again, his voice rising slightly as tensions rose. "Or did you put it in your wallet?"

"My pocket," Zelo said.

"Then it probably dropped out somewhere between then and now," Himchan said.

"But where?" Zelo said, beginning to sound frantic.

Then suddenly, everyone began blurting out the group's worst fears.

"What if he can't come back to Korea?" Daehyun asked.

"Does this mean he won't be able to perform with us?" Youngjae asked.

"Not able to perform?" Zelo nearly cried out. "What — "

"Enough!" Jongup suddenly yelled. "Everyone just calm down, okay? We'll get through this; we're B.A.P and always fighting. It's not the end of the world."

Everyone silently nodded and let out a group sigh to calm down.

"Jongup's right," Youngjae said after a few seconds. "All we have to do is find a police station and report it missing."

Yongguk nodded and vaguely turned to Himchan as Himchan took out his phone, quickly using the internet to locate the nearest police station. Then they were off, running toward the police station. The group made it to the station in record time, throwing open the doors in haste and looking as though they were still running from fans.

"What's the problem?" one of the police officers asked.

Yongguk turned to see everyone looking at him expectantly, as though he'd be able to convey the problem to an English-speaking American. "We . . . B.A.P . . . no speak English . . . speak Korean."

The police officer nodded and quickly used his radio to call in another police officer. Within seconds a Korean police officer in from a nearby hallway, already speaking Korean.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"Our friend, he lost his passport," Yongguk said. "Can you help us find it?"

The Korean officer turned to the other American standing there and repeated the words in English. Then he turned back to B.A.P.

"We're going to bring in a German shepherd dog . . . a tracking dog, to find what your friend lost. All right?"

"That's great," Yongguk said. Within minutes a third police officer showed up, this one bringing an anxious German shepherd with him. The dog sat down and waited for orders.

"Please don't pet him," the officer said to Daehyun as Daehyun reached out to pet the dog. "He's a work dog only."

Youngjae smacked Daehyun on the head.

"Sorry," Daehyun said, bowing.

"Can we have something of your friend's? Some article of clothing or something the dog can have that has your scent?" the Korean officer asked.

Zelo looked at the clothes on his body for a moment, then took off his hat and handed it to the man with the German shepherd. The dog sniffed the hat for a moment, then sniffed Zelo himself. Then the dog was at the doors to the police station, whining and trying to open the door with his paw.

"If we find anything, I'll call you," the police officer with the German shepherd said. "If you could just give me your phone number . . . "

Yongguk quickly took the phone from the police officer and programmed his number into the phone. Then the door opened and the officer and dog jogged down the street.

"You six can leave," the Korean officer said. "If we find anything, we'll let you know, all right?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Everyone bowed then and left the police station. The six of them kept walking the streets, trying to continue small talk, but for some reason their words were strained. The Los Angeles sun didn't seem to be as joyful as before. It was too hot, too humid.

"Come on, Daehyun," Youngjae was saying. "You know that you'd be able to eat more than all of us combined."

"Zelo would give me a run for my money," Daehyun said. "Right, Zelo?"

"Mmm," Zelo said blandly, head down.

"Hey, Zelo, you want a piggy back?" Jongup asked.

"Uh-uh."

"Why don't we play Reverse?" Himchan suggested. "Come on, you love being the oldest and getting back at me and Yongguk, Zelo . . . I mean, Zelo-hyung."

"It's the only time where I'll be the youngest in the group," Yongguk said slyly.

"And you can say anything you want," Himchan added. "You can put us down as much as you want."

"No, thanks," Zelo muttered.

Zelo's lack of enthusiasm was felt by the entire group, and soon everyone fell into a depressed silence.

"Don't worry, Zelo," Himchan said, rubbing Zelo's back. "We'll find your passport."

"And they can't do anything to you when you have us to watch your back," Yongguk added, lifting Zelo's baseball cap briefly and tousling his hair. "What are they going to do, imprison you? You're famous!"

"But I lost my passport!" Zelo exploded. "I lost something and I made you guys have to help me find it. I made it really hard on all of you, and today was supposed to be _fun_." He bowed deeply to everyone and started shaking again. "I'm sorry, guys."

Yongguk reached over and knuckled Zelo's chin. "Don't feel bad, Zelo. We — " Yongguk paused when he felt Himchan nudging him. He silently glanced at Himchan, then followed Himchan's eyes to see what he was looking at. His mouth fell open in silence. Quietly Yongguk got everyone else's attention except Zelo and directed them to the same thing he and Himchan had noticed. Now everyone was smiling.

After a few seconds, Zelo sniffed and looked up. When he noticed everyone's faces, he looked incredibly hurt. "Are you making fun of me?" he asked brokenly.

"No!" Yongguk said abruptly. Then he smiled. "Zelo . . . look."

Zelo followed everyone's gestures, and his face lit up like a young child's on Christmas morning. For there on the ground, sat his passport. Zelo picked up the passport and held it up in the air like a trophy, jumping up and down excitedly and screaming in delight. Everyone followed suit, and soon they were all jumping up and down like little children. The five of them pounded Zelo on the back and hugged him, and they were just finishing up their celebration when the police officer with the German shepherd came running around the corner.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Zelo held up his passport, beaming with delight.

"You found it, then," the police officer wheezed. "And here I thought someone was being murdered."

"The only thing that's been murdered is our depression," Himchan said.  
Yongguk punched Zelo once again, and after a second celebration of delight, they continued on. Zelo couldn't contain his excitement and kept running circles around the group, jumping and doing cartwheels every now and then for fun.

"He's been depressed for too long," Himchan muttered.

"Yeah, ten minutes is way too long for him," Yongguk laughed. Suddenly, Yongguk's phone rang, and he picked it up and heard their manager on the other line.

"Where are you guys?"

"Near the south end of Los Angeles," Yongguk said, glancing around and locating a street sign. "Martin Street. We walked pretty far."

"I know where that is, yeah, and I hope you've taken some time to practice. Anyway, it's time to check into the hotel. We'll be over there in a minute or two to pick you up, all right?"

"Okay." Yongguk hung up and faced his team. "We'll be riding back to the hotel in a few minutes or so."

"Already?" Zelo asked. "Aw, I wanted to get some ice cream while we were in Los Angeles! Do you think we could get some ice cream while we're here, Yongguk-hyung?"

Yongguk frowned, glancing around and not seeing any ice cream stores nearby. "Sure, Zelo, but later."  
Zelo's hopeful expression fell, and Yongguk made sure to quickly rectify the situation.

"Don't worry, Zelo, you'll get your ice cream. We're in America for two weeks, you know."

Zelo looked up at Yongguk and nodded, and Yongguk was relieved to see that he no longer looked disappointed.

Somewhere in the background, Daehyun and Youngjae began singing a song that the two of them invented. It was less of a song and more of a joke that they always sung whenever the group mentioned ice cream, the one American food that their entire group loved.

"I say chocolate, you say ice cream! Chocolate!" Youngjae sang.

"Shut up," Daehyun sang back.

"Chocolate!"

"Shut up," Daehyun said.

"I say ice cream, you say chocolate! Ice cream!" Youngjae said.

"Shut up."

"Ice cream!" Youngjae said.

"You're an idiot," Daehyun laughed.

"Yeah," Youngjae finished, reaching over and punching Daehyun on the shoulder. The two of them were grinning.

Yongguk held back a snort as he heard this song once again. His team could be so weird sometimes. As he opened his mouth to mention which songs they would need to practice that night, a reflective glare down the street caught Yongguk's attention. He turned to see their manager's van driving toward them. "Hey, you five, our ride's here."

The car drove up to them and stopped on the curb, then the passenger window rolled down and out shot a girl's hand. In her hand she held a paper plate with a deep fried onion on it, and Daehyun's eyes instantly widened.

"Look, guys! A fried onion!" Daehyun said, grabbing it and starting to eat as he opened the door to the van and climbed into the car.

Yongguk frowned as the passenger window rolled up, and it confused him even more to see that the car was already moving even though the rest of them hadn't yet gotten into the vehicle. The door wasn't even closed fully yet. And why had the girl sitting in the passenger's seat look so familiar?

Suddenly Youngjae's hand shot out and yanked Daehyun out of the car just before the door closed. The movement was so fast that Daehyun dropped his fried onion on the inside of the car.

"What are you doing?" Daehyun yelled, pushing away from Youngjae. "You made me drop my fried onion!"

"But how did our manager know that you wanted a fried onion?" Youngjae whispered fiercely. "They weren't there!"

"What?" Daehyun said.

"Actually, it's called a blooming onion, Daehyun," the girl said. Then she giggled, and Yongguk knew why he recognized the girl. This wasn't their manager's car at all!

 _It was a fan's!_

Just at that moment, an identical vehicle drove up behind the one that B.A.P had almost climbed into, and out jumped their manager, screaming at them and pulling them away from the fake vehicle.

"Don't get into the car!" he was yelling.

The fake vehicle instantly drove away, and after the group climbed into the correct vehicle and drove back toward the hotel, Daehyun collapsed against Youngjae.

"Thanks, Youngjae," he groaned. "That could've ended horribly. I could've been . . . kidnapped."

"No, problem," Youngjae said. "It just didn't add up. How could our manager know that you wanted a fried onion?"

"It was those girls who were standing on the street corner when you were talking about it," Jongup said. "That's how they knew."

"I can't believe they would pull a stunt like that," Yongguk growled.

"They're supposed to be our fans, not a bunch of freaks," Himchan said.

"I think once this is all over, I'll be glad to go back to Korea," Daehyun said with a sigh.

"Well, already two of us could've been injured, killed, or kidnapped," Yongguk said. "Then we could've had our pictures smeared all across the internet. Zelo might've been stranded in America if we hadn't found his passport."

"Daehyun could've given the fans some great pictures if he had done that splits move during a fan meeting," Himchan said.

Everyone snorted, and Daehyun blushed.

"What was that thing called, anyway?" Youngjae asked. "A booming onion? A booing onion?"  
"It was called a 'blooming' onion, great English master," Daehyun said. "Like a flower."

"What a weird language. I could never survive in America," Youngjae said.

"Yeah," Daehyun said. "You'd ask for an onion and they'd give you a bomb."

"And now your loof is on fire," Youngjae snorted.

"What's a loof?" Zelo asked.

"He means roof," Yongguk said. "But, Youngjae, during our fan chat once we got off the plane, what was your answer when that girl asked you what inspires you?"

"Inspires?" Youngjae asked. "In spiders? Infires?"

"Infires, man!" Daehyun said, reaching over and pounding Youngjae on the back.

"It's inspires," Yongguk corrected.

Daehyun pounded Youngjae on the back once again while Youngjae grinned. "Inspires, man!"

Then the entire group caught on. As one, they all shouted the joke in unison,

"It's Spiderman!"

"We're here, you six," their manager said, interrupting their jokes.

As B.A.P got out of the car, Yongguk began another pun using the English language. It was amazing how easily the English language came to their group when they were simply having fun, verses running from fans and trying to hide in a janitorial closet.

"I want an apple," Yongguk said.

"You want a pole?" Jongup asked.

"Pull who?" Youngjae said.

"Poor you," Yongguk finished.

"Come on, let's get on our disguises and go into the hotel," Himchan said.

"This guy is what?" Zelo asked as he placed his baseball cap on.

"The sky is wet?" Yongguk asked. "Is it going to rain?"

"Where's the train?" Jongup said.

"What drain?" Youngjae said.

"I'm wondering, too," Daehyun said. "What's the answer?"

"If there are ants here, I don't want to stay," Himchan said.

"Our aunt's here? That's news to me, but I'm toasty warm, too," Yongguk said. "Anyway, Himchan's right, gang. Let's go in."

"Who's snoozing?" Zelo asked as they walked in.

The six had to stop this game as they checked into the hotel, and they made sure their disguises were in place as they took their room keys and walked into the hotel lobby.

"At least now we won't have to worry about being recognized," Daehyun said as they all sat down in the lobby.

"If we don't even know what hotel we're staying at," Himchan said, "how will the fans know?"

"Don't worry, Himchan. They'd find a way," Yongguk said. He glanced over at Zelo to see that Zelo was already bored and in the middle of getting up to dance. "Hey, Zelo, don't start dancing or anything, at least until we get to our hotel rooms," Yongguk said, causing Zelo to pause. "If there's one thing that'll get you recognized faster than your dyed hair, it's you dancing the moves to 'Power' or something like that. That goes for all of you. Got it?"  
"Yes, hyung," Zelo said, sagging a bit.

"Can Zelo and I go look around?" Jongup asked. "I think I saw one of our albums in the hotel's gift shop."

"Yeah, and I saw some really great restaurants right across from our hotel," Daehyun said, standing up as well. "Can me and Youngjae check it out?"

Himchan folded his arms and nodded. "Be back here in a half hour, though. I don't want you guys getting into trouble."

With a small cheer, the group went their separate ways while Himchan and Yongguk sank deeper into their chairs.

"You actually trust that they won't get into trouble?" Yongguk asked.

Himchan shrugged. "Maybe. Not really. But man, after today, I need a break. I almost get killed, we nearly bring home a hidden camera, Zelo loses his passport, and Daehyun . . . I'm looking forward to the concert and publicity, don't get me wrong, but . . . I can't wait to get back to Korea."

"You got that right," Yongguk said.

Himchan closed his eyes and leaned on Yongguk's shoulder. "Wake me up when they get back."

"I won't need to wake you up," Yongguk said.

"That's true," Himchan said.

Yongguk busied himself by using his phone to look at their previous performances, noting any mistakes that the group had made that would need correcting. By now Himchan had fallen asleep, and Yongguk himself felt tiredness begin to drag at his eyelids.

"No, it's my orange juice!"

With a snort, Yongguk's head jerked back up as he saw Zelo and Jongup come into the room, Zelo's running away from Jongup and holding a Styrofoam cup just out of Jongup's reach. Beside him, Himchan groaned and opened his eyes.

"Not much sleep, huh?" Yongguk asked.

"Come on, Zelo. Just give me a drink, would you?" Jongup asked, making a grab for the cup in Zelo's hand.

"No!" Zelo said, taking a sip. "this is my orange juice!"

"Well then tell me where I can go get some for myself," Jongup said.

"You can't, this was the last they had," Zelo said, taking another sip. "It's mine!"

"Come on, Zelo. Just — "

Yongguk watched as Jongup finally grabbed the cup that Zelo held, accidentally tearing it two and spilling the orange juice all over the hotel's carpet.

Zelo and Jongup froze, but Himchan was up in a flash.

"You two are going to clean that mess up," he said quietly. "And you're going to do it without arguing. Is that clear?"

Even though Zelo was taller than Jongup, he was now hiding behind Jongup. Without another word from either of them, both Zelo and Jongup nodded. Then the two of them bowed and raced off to the bathroom to get paper towels, water, and soap.

"They'll be the death of this perfect face of mine," Himchan groaned, taking a seat next to Yongguk again.

"Don't worry, it was an accident," Yongguk said.

"Sometimes I feel like the mom of this group," Himchan groaned as Jongup returned and began carefully wiping up the juice they'd spilled. "Where's Zelo, Jongup? He's not trying to escape from work, is he?"

Jongup shrugged. "It's a bathroom, isn't it?"

"Look at it this way, Himchan," Yongguk pointed out. "At least you can better appreciate your own mother."

"That's true."

"So, Jongup, how did it happen?" Himchan asked as Jongup continued to clean up the spill.

"Well, I was looking through the gifts and Zelo ran off because he thought he saw a poster of B.A.P being advertised on one of the hotel walls. I didn't come with because I was looking at this cool necklace, and when Zelo came back he was carrying the orange juice," Jongup said.

"And there wasn't any for you?" Yongguk asked.

Jongup shook his head, then glanced over his shoulder and waved.

Yongguk and Himchan looked and saw Zelo returning to the scene of the crime. He bowed slightly.


	5. Something Wrong With Zelo

"I'm here, hyungs."

"The work's here as well," Himchan said, pointing to the floor.

Without a word, Zelo got on his knees with a handful of wet paper towels and began wiping up the spill as well.

Yongguk turned toward the hotel doors as he saw Daehyun and Youngjae enter. Yongguk waved the two of them over.

"We went scouting nearby restaurants," Youngjae said, running up to them. "And we found — whoa, what happened here?"

"Did Himchan finally snap after too many comments about his being overweigh — " Daehyun began, stopping immediately when he noticed Himchan's glare of death.

"Just some orange juice spilled, that's all," Yongguk said, making sure to position himself in the middle of Daehyun and Himchan so that Himchan didn't have a chance to kill Daehyun. "What kind of restaurants did you guys find?"

After another wary glance at Himchan, Daehyun relaxed and smiled. "I got to say, America really does have everything. It's got a Chinese restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, and some French places. But we struck gold just one block away from our hotel."  
"He's right," Youngjae said. "I smelled it from half a block away."

"What'd you find?" Zelo asked from his crouched position on the floor.

"Korean barbecue," they said together.

It was amazing how two simple words could create such a change in the group. Instantly everyone was up, pitching in and helping Zelo and Jongup clean the floor so they could get to a restaurant that served perhaps the best dish in the world. After a quick mentioning to their manager as to where they would be going, the boys struck out, running to the restaurant and finding it pleasantly crowded.

"Do you smell that?" Zelo asked, nearly floating on his tiptoes as they entered the restaurant.

"Just like home," Yongguk said, stomach already growling.

"It's paradise," Himchan said.

Whether it was because they were famous, or just because the place wasn't very crowded, Yongguk didn't know, but within two minutes they were seated and had their orders taken. They sat there for five minutes without any fan maulings or kidnappings, then Zelo picked up his menu and began folding it into an airplane before Himchan stopped him.

"That barbecue is going to taste so good," Daehyun said.

"And the dumplings," Youngjae said.

"Don't forget the chicken and — " here Himchan nudged Yongguk playfully, " — the ramen. You always order that stuff, don't you?"

"I'll eat it until the day I die," Yongguk said.

"Hey, Zelo, you look kind of sweaty. Are you all right?" Jongup asked.

"We ran here, didn't we?" Zelo asked.

Yongguk glanced over at Zelo and saw that he did, in fact, look slightly tired. He was about to say something, but at that moment the food arrived and all thoughts except eating were driven from everyone's minds. Even the ramen paled in comparison to the sacred barbecue sitting in the middle of the table.

"Let's eat," Yongguk said, already tasting the food on his palette.

The six devoured. They ate with only the occasional grunt of pleasure as food disappeared into mouth, and only after their table had been refilled three times did they finally sit back and stretch.

"That was delicious," Daehyun said.

"I'm surprised," Himchan said. "It was almost as good as home."

"But nothing beats Korean street barbecue," Jongup said.

"Yeah, right off the grill," Youngjae said.

"It was still really good, though," Yongguk said. "The ramen was tasty."

"What'd you think, Ze . . . Zelo? Are you feeling okay?" Himchan asked.

All eyes were suddenly on the youngest of the group, and Yongguk was surprised to see a pained expression on his face after such a great meal.

Zelo quickly took away the hand he'd placed over his stomach. "Ah, my stomach hurts a little bit. I think I ate too much."

"Isn't that Daehyun's job?" Youngjae asked.

A laugh rose up from their table, and soon the six had paid for the meal, left the restaurant, and returned to the hotel. They all sat down in the lobby and quietly hummed "One Shot" before Yongguk sat up. "So what should we do now? We've seen all the sights," Yongguk said.

"We could just go up to our hotel rooms and hang out," Youngjae said.

"Or maybe we could practice for the concert," Himchan said. He looked at the group and Yongguk saw him pause. "Where's Zelo?"

Yongguk looked around, not even noticing that Zelo had gone.

"He said something about the bathroom when we came in," Jongup said.

"Maybe he really _did_ eat too much," Daehyun said.

"He'll be okay," Youngjae said.

Just then Zelo returned, and the entire group looked him up and down while assessing his physical state. Yongguk noticed that he looked a tinge pale, but then he remembered that none of them had gotten any sleep the night before.

"You all right?" Himchan asked.

Zelo blinked. "Yes, I'm fine, Himchan-hyung."

"Then let's get up to our hotel rooms," Himchan said.

"We've got two days, everyone, then we're performing right here in Los Angeles," Yongguk said. "Let's do our best, okay?"  
"B.A.P, fighting!" everyone shouted.

The six of them went up to their hotel rooms, parting ways since there were only two bedrooms per room. Yongguk went into his and Himchan's room and fell onto the nearest bed. "This is always so weird."

"Touring?" Himchan asked, falling onto the bed beside him.

"No, having separate bedrooms," Yongguk said. "I'm used to the three bunk beds we've got at home."

"And Youngjae's snores," Himchan said.

The two of them laughed.

"But there won't be any snoring tonight," Yongguk said.

"Because there won't be any sleep," Himchan said.

"Just give them ten minutes, and everyone will be cramming into our bedroom so we can practice until the sun comes up," Yongguk said.

"Don't we do that all the time?" Himchan asked.

"Pretty much, but you and I both know that whenever we're on tour, we practice twenty-five, seven," Yongguk said. "Instead of the normal nineteen, seven back home."

"We'd better get our dancing shoes out of the luggage," Himchan said. "Is your bag in the closet?"

"I think that's where our manager put it, yeah," Yongguk said.  
Sounds of Himchan rustling through their bags coupled with the fact that Yongguk hadn't slept in over a day helped lull him into a semi-conscious state. Suddenly, he was woken up by something hitting his chest. He looked up and saw his dancing shoes sitting on his chest.

"You just had to put your shoes on the bottom of your bag," Himchan huffed, slipping his own dance shoes on his feet.

"Sorry, Himchan," Yongguk said. "Don't worry, they'll be here within a minute, so you'll know that you searched fast for a good reason."

"Really? One minute?" Himchan asked.

"Count on it."

"You're on."

Yongguk began counting aloud as he put on his own dance shoes, and by the time he reached ten seconds, someone knocked at the door. He smirked at Himchan. "Told you," he said, getting up and answering the door to see Zelo, Jongup, Daehyun, and Youngjae all standing there. "Hey, there. Come on in, gu — " Out of nowhere, a pillow slammed into the back of Yongguk's head, and he turned around to see an equally smug Himchan casually watching television and acting as if nothing had happened.

"What song is first in the lineup?" Jongup asked as he sat down next to Himchan.

"It's . . . 'Badman,' " Yongguk said, tossing a pillow back at Himchan and frowning when Himchan dodged it and it hit Jongup instead.

"What did I do?" Jongup asked.

"Sorry, wrong target," Yongguk said.

Himchan turned off the television and stood up next to Zelo, frowning when he looked up at him. "Why are you taller than me?"

Zelo smiled. "Sorry, Himchan."

Yongguk saw the danger just before it happened. With a bark of laughter at Zelo's joke, Yongguk jumped between Zelo and Himchan as Himchan's eyes flashed and he reached out to strike Zelo for not treating him with respect. Even though Yongguk was effectively holding Himchan back, Zelo's smile was wary as he leaned away from Himchan.

"Come on, Zelo. Treat Himchan respectively," Yongguk said once Himchan had calmed down.

Zelo smiled, this one genuine. He bowed. "Sorry, Himchan-hyung."

Himchan reached out and tapped Zelo on the head. "Just don't do it again, Zelo."

"I won't."

Yongguk caught Zelo's appreciative glance and responded with a nod, but he was surprised to see Zelo's expression suddenly become one of intense discomfort. With a hand on his stomach, Zelo quickly ducked into the bathroom. Yongguk turned to the rest of the group and was about to mention something about Zelo's strange behavior when Himchan got his attention.

"Yongguk, help me push these beds out of the way so we can have room to dance."

Yongguk helped Himchan move the beds while Youngjae grabbed some water from the fridge and Jongup took a roll of tape out of his bag and marked the borders and center of the hotel floor, successfully converting it into a dance practice room,

"How many songs are we doing for the concert?" Daehyun asked.

"Twelve for the main concert," Yongguk said. "Three for the encore, so that's fifteen all together."

"Unless we do a song before the intermission," Himchan said. "Then it would be sixteen."

"Right," Yongguk said.

"Where's Zelo?" Jongup asked.

Yongguk was about to mention what he'd seen, but he didn't feel like embarrassing Zelo, so he simply shrugged with a, "bathroom."

"Again?" Jongup muttered.

No one else seemed to hear Jongup, but Yongguk glanced over at Jongup in surprise. "What do you mean, 'again'?" he muttered back so no one heard them.

Jongup opened his mouth and was about to answer, but Zelo returned just then and broke up their conversation. Yongguk stole a glance at Zelo as he passed, and Yongguk noticed that Zelo's face was slightly pale.

"Come on, everyone," Himchan said. "Zelo's back, so let's get to practicing."

Pushing his worries to the back of his mind, Yongguk took his place on the 'dance floor' as Himchan took his phone and played the first song on the list, blasting the music so all could hear. The dancing started, and after a few times through the song with much playing around, everyone got serious and dedicated themselves to performing the song perfectly.

"All right, that's one," Yongguk said as they finished the choreography to 'Badman' for the fourth time. "Ten songs to go and we'll be pretty much done." He turned to look at everyone behind him to see that they weren't even breaking a sweat. They were, after all, dancers. But as Yongguk's eyes came forward again and he saw Zelo, he was surprised to see one of the best dancers of the group already had his hands on his knees in exhaustion.

"Zelo, you okay?" Himchan asked.

"I'm fine, hyung," Zelo panted, looking over his shoulder and flashing Himchan a smile. "Just tired, but I will continue."

The second song played, then the third song, and Yongguk forgot all about Zelo's tiredness as he focused on the choreography and singing. But when Zelo came forward to perform a dancing solo, Yongguk was almost frightened to see that his clothes were now drenched in sweat and his movements were screaming of exhaustion. What was going on?

Suddenly, the music stopped and Himchan came over to Zelo. "We should take a break, everyone."

"No!" Zelo panted. "I-I'm fine, hyung. Let's just go through one more song."  
"No, we need to take a break," Yongguk said, moving to stand beside Himchan in agreement.

"Then I'll practice on my own," Zelo said, touching a few buttons on Himchan's phone and starting the next song they were to perform. Zelo began dancing, and everyone else shrugged and followed suit since they knew Zelo wouldn't give in. As though spurred on by the thought of being looked down upon, Zelo's movements had cleaned up and he began dancing like his normal self again. The song continued, and everything was good. But things took a turn for the worse as Zelo came forward once again for another dancing solo. Yongguk glanced over at Zelo and gasped when he saw how ghostly pale the boy was. He watched in horror as Zelo's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he barely had time to get under Zelo to catch him before he passed out then and there.

"Zelo!" Yongguk shouted. "Wake up!"

Everyone froze in the middle of dancing then crowded around Zelo, the choreography forgotten.

"Is he okay?" Jongup asked.

"Is he dead? He's not dead, is he?" Youngjae asked.

"He's breathing, idiot," Daehyun said.

Yongguk carried Zelo over to the bed and carefully set him down. Seconds later, Zelo's eyes fluttered open.

"W-what?" he groaned. Then he blinked twice. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Himchan said. "Now, Zelo, tell us; what in the world is going on?"

"I don't . . . know," Zelo said, carefully sitting up and clutching his stomach.

"You were in the bathroom a lot when we came back to the hotel," Jongup said. "Did anything happen to you while we were out sightseeing?"

"No . . . "

"Are you sure?" Himchan asked.

"Y-yes."

"Did you eat anything that could've been bad? Spoiled?" Jongup asked. "How about those cherry tomatoes?"

"They tasted fine," Zelo said.

"And if he got a little bug there, why wasn't he trying to use the airplane bathroom?" Younjae asked. "It would've cleared up by now."

"If bad food's the culprit, there's a better chance that _I_ would've gotten sick on that onion those crazy fans gave me than you on the cherry tomatoes I packed," Daehyun said.

"Are you sure you didn't eat anything bad?" Himchan asked again.

"No . . . wait, Daehyun, what'd you say?" Zelo asked.

"I said that I should've gotten sick on that onion those fans gave me."

"That might be it!" Zelo said, shooting up but sinking back into the bed a few moments later from exhaustion. "That orange juice I drank."

"But you said you got it in the hotel and that it was the last of the stuff there," Jongup said.

"It was," Zelo said. "Some girl came up and gave it to me so I drank it."

"You, _what_?" everyone yelled.

"So some stranger gives you something to drink and you just decide that it's okay to drink it?" Himchan was exploding with anger now. "How could you think that it might not have something in it? What if it had been a really strong poison?"

"What if it _is_ a really strong poison?" Yongguk asked.

The entire team went quiet for a second, then Youngjae was at the hotel telephone calling 911. He paused then looked at the group in exasperation.

" _Hello? What is your situation?_ "

Yongguk snatched the phone from Youngjae and began speaking, so full of adrenaline that he began in Korean for a few sentences before correcting himself. He stumbled out English as best he could. "Friend, poisoned . . . help!" Whoever was on the line seemed to understand him, then she said a few words which Yongguk understood.

" _On their way_."

After the line cut out, Yongguk hung up the phone and turned back to Zelo. "How do you feel, Zelo?"  
"Tired," Zelo groaned. "And my stomach still hurts."

"We'd better tell our manager," Himchan said, picking up his phone and calling him. Yongguk heard a few shouts over the line after Himchan said that Zelo had been poisoned, and exactly six seconds later there was banging on the door. Yongguk opened the door to see their manager standing there. He had a robe on, only one slipper, and was holding the stem of his glasses in one hand and the other part of his glasses in the other hand.

"What do you mean, poisoned?" he yelled.

"He drank something that a fan gave him, and ever since then he hasn't been feeling right," Himchan explained.

"That's why you were spending so much time in our bathroom," Jongup said, snapping his fingers. "Were you puking?"

Zelo blushed briefly, and shook his head. "I was . . . ah . . . I think it was a laxative."

"Laxitive or no laxative, it must've been pretty strong to cause you to faint," Daehyun said.

"Here, have some water," Himchan said, giving Zelo a sip off a water bottle.

"What if he can't perform?" the manager asked.

The five of them glared up at their manager, not saying a word.

"No, I should perform," Zelo said, starting to get up even though he was still ghostly pale. "I need to be part of our image and do my best — "

"And now the best thing you can do is rest," Yongguk said, pushing Zelo back onto the bed. "You've already worked hard; you deserve it." He shot another glare up at their manager.

Then there was another knock at the hotel door, and their manager opened it to see three paramedics coming onto the scene.

"We got a call for poison?" one of them said. He looked around, spotted Zelo on the bed, and knelt beside him.

"We'd better get him to the hospital. If he's poisoned, we're racing against the clock," another said.

"Did you get a stretcher? We need to get him out of here, now," the first one said.

Yongguk looked from one to the other, somehow understanding what they wanted. "I got it," he said, picking up Zelo in his arms and walking toward the door with everyone else following.

Zelo was blushing a bit. "I can walk, hyung."

"Not after you fainted," Yongguk answered.

The six of them descended to the main floor of the hotel and went outside to the where the parked ambulance stood idling. Two of the paramedics took a gurney out of the ambulance, and Yongguk placed Zelo on it. Zelo was frowning up at Yongguk for carrying him the entire way, but suddenly his body let out a shiver and he placed his hand on his stomach again.

"Thanks, Yongguk-hyung," he said.

"Don't mention it, Zelo," Yongguk said, reaching down to tousle his hair.

"Just get better," Jongup said.

"We'll be right behind you," Youngjae said.

As the ambulance doors closed, Yongguk and the others ran over to their manager to get his car keys so they could follow Zelo.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "You can't leave to check up on that idiot who's stupid enough to get himself poisoned! If he's dumb enough to do something like that, he deserves to be kicked out of your group! You five need to stay and practice for — "

" _Shut up_!" Jongup snarled, stepping out of the group with a look in his eyes that clearly stated that he would fight their manager if he had to. For a moment, everyone froze in shock, including the manager. Yongguk had never seen Jongup angry, and by the expressions on everyone's faces, no one else had, either.

As he glanced around, Yongguk saw surprise in his team members' faces as they stared at Jongup, but he saw fear in their manager's eyes despite the fact that Jongup was half their manager's age.

Jongup held out a hand. "Just give us the keys. Now."

The keys were quickly handed over with no fight necessary, then Yongguk and the others climbed into the manager's car and drove to the hospital.

"All I can say is . . . wow, Jongup," Daehyun said.

"Daehyun's right. That was amazing," Youngjae said.

"You could stare down an army with that glare of yours," Himchan said.

Jongup smiled tersely, then looked out the car window. "I just hope Zelo's okay."

"Don't worry; he'll be fine," Yongguk said as he pulled the vehicle into the hospital parking lot. The car was barely parked before the five boys jumped out and ran into the hospital, screeching to a halt and nearly crashing into the receptionist's desk since they were still wearing their dancing shoes.

"Name, please?" she asked.

"We are B.A.P, yes, sir!" they said automatically.

"Looking . . . name, Zelo," Yongguk finished.

"Ah, yes. He's recovering just fine. He's down in room 122 that way — "

She had barely pointed them in the correct direction before they took off down the hall, screeching to another halt in front of the correct door and cramming into the small hospital room. There stood a doctor, and on a nearby bed sat Zelo.


	6. Doctor Visit

"You boys are lucky I can speak Korean, but I'm happy to say that Zelo's going to be fine," the doctor said. "Turns out that that boy's drink was spiked with some milk of magnesia, a heavy laxative, and his body didn't like it that much. He's pretty dehydrated right now, but he'll be okay within a day or so. We should be able to release him in the morning; just be sure to keep him hydrated and not doing anything too strenuous, though seeing who you six are, I'd find that hard to believe."

"You . . . wait, sir, you know us?" Daehyun asked.

"I've got a daughter, don't I? She's going to be in the crowd, right in front of the stage, actually. Wave to her; she'll love it."

"If it was just a laxative, why was he clutching his stomach?" Youngjae asked.

"Bouts of diarrhea can cause pain in the stomach, especially if your body is getting rid of a strong drug like milk of magnesia. It's like vomiting; your stomach hurts after that, right?" the doctor asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Same thing. But be glad that he didn't drink all of that orange juice he said he got, or we could be dealing with something a lot worse that a little bit of dehydration."

"Like death?" Zelo squeaked from behind them.

"Well, yeah," the doctor said. "If you had drunk all of that stuff, you would've releasing everything you had inside you and then some. You would've become dehydrated extremely fast, and severe dehydration can cause death, no doubt."

At these words, the entire team collapsed onto Zelo's bed, then they all turned to him and hugged him, glad that he was okay.

"I love you guys, too, but . . . I don't like being squished," came Zelo's muffled voice.

They all let go of him and turned back to the doctor.

"What do we need to do to make sure he's okay?" Jongup asked.

"Just keep him hydrated with juices and similar drinks, that's all," the doctor said, turning around to pick something up behind him. He turned to face the group, holding a needle. The group tensed. "I'm just going to take some blood, Zelo, to make sure everything's okay inside you. Can I do that?"

Zelo was busy staring at the needle, gripping Jongup with both hands. He looked over at Himchan with a silent plea, but Himchan shook his head. Then he turned to Yongguk, eyes wide with fright.

Yongguk shrugged. "B.A.P, fighting." Then he led the group in an a cappella version of "Warrior," which steeled Zelo's nerves and gave him enough courage to produce his arm to the doctor. The doctor approached with the needle, but at the last second Zelo turned away with his eyes squeezed shut.

"All right, Zelo, I'm going to draw blood in ten seconds. Okay?"

Zelo said nothing, but his teeth were bared.

"Ten," the doctor began, putting a silent finger to his lips as he inserted the needle into Zelo's arm and began drawing blood.

The group stared and refrained from laughing as the doctor continued his countdown. The five of them continued singing "Warrior" and rubbing Zelo's back and shoulders for support, and by the time two seconds remained, the doctor had already pulled out the needle. Then he clapped Zelo on the shoulder.

"All done, Zelo."

Zelo opened his eyes, looked at the doctor in confusion, then at the needle, then at the rest of the group. He blinked. "I didn't feel a thing."

"All that counting down for nothing," Youngjae said.

The doctor nodded. "I'll just get Zelo's blood checked to make sure everything's okay, then you'll be free to go." He left the room while the group continued pounding Zelo on the back and congratulating him for having blood drawn with no complications.

"Next time maybe you won't have to bear your teeth," Daehyun said.

"You stiffened up right as he said, 'one,' but by then he was already done," Jongup said.

"You're true B.A.P material, Zelo," Himchan said.

Zelo hid a smile. "I'm glad you guys came to the hospital." He looked down at the bed and began to pull at the sheets absentmindedly. "I thought you wouldn't come," he finished in a soft voice.

"Why would you think that?" Yongguk asked.

"I heard our manager yelling at you guys to get back to practice, and I thought you'd choose to stay behind instead of following the ambulance."

Yongguk blinked, at a loss for words. How could Zelo even think that they would abandon him after being injured? Their group had been inseparable for the last two years, and they'd been together in everything from winning awards to fighting off false accusations and slander.

"We share a bedroom; we share food, and sometimes we even share a toothbrush," Himchan said, and Yongguk heard Daehyun and Youngjae gagging next to him. "Why wouldn't we make sure that the youngest in our group isn't going to be poisoned to death?"

"We're always going to make sure you're okay, Zelo," Himchan said. "Even when you don't want us to!"

"Besides, you think we'd let you get doted on by all the hot American nurses by yourself?" Daehyun asked. "Never!"

"And we can't practice our songs without you," Youngjae said. "You're our front dancer."

Yongguk reached over and knocked everyone's heads playfully. "You're B.A.P, Zelo. We wouldn't be who we are without you."

"And it's too bad, because you're stuck with us now," Jongup said.

Zelo blushed. "Thanks."

The group playfully bullied Zelo for a few moments before falling back onto the hospital bed.

"But, Zelo, you really missed out," Youngjae said.

"Missed what?" Zelo asked.

"Jongup getting angry," Daehyun said. "He stared down our manager!"

Zelo's eyes widened. He looked at Jongup. "Really?"

"Yeah . . . he called you an idiot," Jongup said quietly. "I couldn't take that."

"He was practically breathing smoke," Yongguk said.

"And our manager was terrified!" Youngjae laughed.

Zelo sat back, still wide-eyed as he stared at Jongup. "I wish I'd been there."

Jongup shrugged. "It was nothing, really."

"Oh, it was something, all right," Himchan said. "I wish I had recorded it." Then he turned to Daehyun. "So, the doctor said that we need to keep Zelo hydrated. Can you do that?"

As the team glanced at Daehyun, they found that he was already smiling.

"You'll never guess what I brought on our trip, Zelo," Daehyun began, reaching into a bag he'd brought from the hotel.

Zelo's eyes brightened. "What? What?"

He pulled out a bottle from his bag, and Zelo squealed in excitement.

"Tomato juice!" he shouted. "Thanks, Daehyun-hyung!" Then he took it and began drinking the stuff as though he hadn't had a drink in over two days.

Yongguk laughed at Zelo. "Maybe that's why your hair is red."

"You love that stuff, don't you?" Jongup asked.

Zelo nodded, still drinking.

"Well, with all five of you here, I think his recovery time will be doubled," the doctor said. "He looks better already."

"I feel great, too," Zelo said, taking a deep breath and pausing from his inhalation of the tomato juice. "No more . . . laxative trouble."

Everyone had to laugh as Zelo's face became as red as both his hair and the bottle he was holding.

"We're just glad you're okay," Himchan said, tousling Zelo's hair. "You gave us all a scare after you passed out."

"Does this mean that I can drink tomato juice for the rest of the tour?" Zelo asked, looking at all the members in turn with a hopeful expression.

"If it can keep you from fainting, I think I can say that we'll keep you drinking tomato juice every day for the rest of your life," Yongguk said.

Zelo squealed in delight and was being so cute that Jongup leaned over and kissed Zelo on the top of the head. Zelo ruffled his hair and made a face at Jongup. "Why do you do that, Jongup?"

"Because you're too cute," Jongup said with a grin. Then his face became serious. "I'm glad you're all right."

Zelo affirmed Jongup's comment by letting out a loud laugh and throwing his arms around Jongup in a bear hug. "I'm glad I'm all right, too!"

"You'd be pretty hard to replace," Yongguk said, smiling. "And once we're out of this hospital, we can get back to practicing."

"Well, all except you, Zelo," Himchan said. "We'll probably have to keep you from practicing for just a little longer."

Zelo released Jongup and frowned. "But the concert's in two days! Y-you're not going to do it without me just because I got a little sick, are you?"

His words were so broken that Yongguk knew that keeping Zelo from performing wasn't an option. Besides, the doctor said that he'd be good in a day. "We'll just keep you light on dancing until tomorrow evening," Yongguk said. "Then you can join us practicing again. Don't worry, you'll be onstage when we perform. We couldn't' do our American debut without you."

"We are B.A.P!" they all yelled.

"And don't think you'll get out of practicing just because you're sick," Himchan said with a grin. "We'll make up for lost time and be sure to work you to the bone."

"Even if I have to rest in bed, can you still practice in our hotel room so I'm not alone?" Zelo asked.

"I think that's what we were going to do anyway," Jongup said.

"It wouldn't feel right if only five of us were in the practice room," Youngjae said.

"If you weren't there, we'd lose our cheering and motivational section," Daehyun said.

"He's our personal cheerleader, all right, but with what's been going on, maybe we should just stay in our hotel rooms for the rest of the tour anyway," Himchan said.

"I know," Yongguk said. "I'm surprised that none of us broke an arm or something."

"Who knew America was so dangerous?" Zelo asked, setting down his now-empty bottle of tomato juice.

"But still . . . it's America," Youngjae said.

Everyone nodded, then the doctor cleared his throat so that the group would notice his return.

"Well, I think you six have everything set here," the doctor said. "Blood work just came back, and Zelo's system is all clear. He's been discharged from the hospital and is now free to go. Just make sure he drinks plenty of water alongside that tomato juice, since tomato juice can be a tad salty and hard on a dehydrated system."

"Got it," Yongguk said, getting off the bed with everyone else. "We'll stop off at the store on the way home to make sure you're kept thoroughly hydrated, Zelo."

"Tomato juice?" Zelo asked hopefully.

Yongguk shrugged. "Apple juice, lemonade, water, sports drinks . . . tomato juice," he finished with a smile.

"Orange juice that isn't laced with a drug," Daehyun said.

A final laugh rang through the hospital room before the group slowly helped Zelo to his feet, steadying him as he stumbled a bit. "I guess that orange juice made me really weak," Zelo said with a smile. "But I'm a lot better now." Yongguk found this hard to believe as Zelo took another step forward and nearly fell over, this time being caught by Jongup.

"I'm fine, Jongup," Zelo said, shaking his friend off.

"It's either Jongup or me, Zelo," Yongguk said, prepared to carry him out of the hospital just as he carried him out of the hotel an hour previously.

Zelo blinked and put his arm around Jongup's shoulders for support. Then he motioned for Daehyun to come closer and put his other arm around Daehyun's shoulders. "Good?"

Yongguk smiled. "Good."

The six of them left the hospital, stopped off at a nearby grocery store, and bought enough juice to change the color of the Pacific Ocean. After they returned to the car, they gave Zelo five bottles of juice and demanded he drink them there on the spot. However, Zelo had only gotten through one bottle of juice before Daehyun and Youngjae began a singing competition to see who could hit the higher note with his voice, and soon everyone was either joining in the game or paralyzed with laughter.

After the game was over and Daehyun declared the winner, Zelo resumed his mandatory juice drinking. This quickly became a game as well as each member of the group challenged Zelo to see who could drink juice faster, and before they had gotten back to the hotel, half the juice was gone.

"His color's coming back, at least," Daehyun said as they pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"Yeah," Jongup said, reaching out to poke Zelo in the face. "There's the orange juice."

"There's the lemonade," Youngjae said, poking the other side of Zelo's face.

"There's the tomato juice," Daehyun said, gently tugging a lock of Zelo's hair.

"There's the manager," Himchan announced, pointing out a man running toward the vehicle.

"Is he okay?" the manager panted as the six of them climbed out of the car. "Will he be able to perform?"

"Just keep him hydrated and let him rest for a day, then he'll be able to practice with us," Yongguk said.

Zelo smiled. "I get a break!"

"But you'll have to work twice as hard once you're recovered," the manager said. "Even though it's just a day, we perform the day after tomorrow. You all need to be ready."

"We talked about that already," Himchan said, brushing him off. "We'll do our best and we'll be fine."

"It's not like we couldn't perform all the songs in our sleep," Youngjae said.

"Is anyone hungry?" Daehyun asked.

The team looked at him and they all groaned good-naturedly as the six of them left their manager behind and made their way back up to the hotel room to practice. As he closed the door to the hotel room, Yongguk did a quick count of everyone there and noticed that Himchan was missing. "Guys, where's Himchan?"

"Wasn't he right behind us?" Jongup asked.

"I don't — " A knock at the door interrupted them, and Yongguk opened the door to see Himchan standing there, panting slightly. "What's up?" he asked.

Himchan shook his head and put a finger to his lips, but his eyes were glowing. Yongguk hid a smile. Himchan was up to something. With the entire group now in the hotel room, practice resumed, Zelo watching from his requisite spot on the bed with at least six bottles of juice lying next to him.

"All right, that was good, everyone, but Daehyun, you need to make sure you get to the front faster so you'll give us more room to dance behind you," Yongguk said.

"Got it," Daehyun said. "Should we go through the dance agai — "

Just then, there was another knock at the hotel door. Yongguk looked around in confusion but Himchan was already answering the door. He bowed once, then came back in holding something behind him.

"Who was that, Himchan-hyung?" Zelo asked.

"Just . . . someone," Himchan said slyly, bringing the object he'd been hiding behind his back forward so that all could view it.

Zelo was practically jumping up and down on the bed. "Chocolate chip ice cream!" he said joyfully. "Is it for me?"

"That's right. Just get better, Zelo," Himchan said. "And this ice cream will definitely help," he laughed.

Zelo took the ice cream and spoon offered to him, digging right out of the carton and eating for a few seconds before he looked up at the rest of the team watching him. He frowned, looked down at the ice cream, then brightened and held the carton out to the rest of the team. "Sharing is better!"

With a group grin, everyone crashed on the bed next to Zelo, not even bothering to grab individual spoons. The carton and spoon were passed around, as were smiles, laughs, and groans of delight.

"Hey, I didn't get any yet. Pass some over," Youngjae said.

"Daehyun, stop eating so much," Himchan said. "Save it for Zelo."

Daehyun's eyes were wide with delight. "But it's such good ice cream."

"Eat as much as you want, hyungs," Zelo said, cuddling into Jongup who was lying closest to him.

"You deserve it," Himchan said.

"You passed out," Yongguk said with a laugh.

"Does that mean if I pass out, I get cheesecake?" Daehyun asked, receiving a slap to the head from Himchan.

"If you try to pull a stunt like that on Himchan, he'll probably surprise you with a plate of radishes," Jongup said.

Daehyun made a face, and everyone laughed. There was only one food that Daehyun refused to eat.

"I'm thirsty," Youngjae said. "Pass me a bottle of that orange juice, would you?"

"The tomato juice is mine," Zelo said as everyone took different bottles of juice and started to drink.

"Don't worry, Zelo," Yongguk began, taking a sip of lemonade. "We — " Everyone jumped as the door to their hotel room suddenly banged open, and in rushed their manager.

"I didn't know you had the key to our hotel room," Youngjae said.

Their manager's eyes were flaming. "I pass your room and hear no music! I come into your room and see no dancing! What do I find? Ice cream! Juice! Are you dancers, or aren't you?! If you forgot, you six have a concert in two days!"

"Calm down," Himchan said. "We're just taking a break."

"Taking a break?" he sputtered. "You should be practicing!"

"We know the dances back and front. We'll practice them all day tomorrow," Daehyun said. "We'll be ready for the concert — "

"Will you? Or did I book an _American tour_ for a bunch of lazy slugs?"

The group visibly recoiled, now clutching their bottles of juice so tightly that their knuckles were white.

"Zelo just got out of the hospital," Jongup said dangerously. "We're just — "

"I don't care if he just got out of the hospital! I don't care if he just fainted, and I don't care if he pukes while he's practicing! No matter the doctor's orders, you should all be up and practicing in gratitude for all the work I've done!"

Yongguk had enough. He could see his teammates already beginning to swell with fury, so he answered for all of them. He rose up like a storm cloud, his voice low and dangerous. "Work _you've_ done? Who writes all the songs? Who sings until they have laryngitis? Who practices twenty hours a day and barely gets one hour of sleep a night? We do! So don't you dare talk to us like you know what work is!"

"I shouldn't have brought you to America. You're pathetic," the manager said. "Zelo should've drunken that entire glass of orange juice. You all should have. At least that way you'd have a good reason for not being — "

As one unit, the group snapped. Suddenly everyone had taken their open bottles of juice and shook them in the direction of their manager, effectively soaking him in six different flavors. Their manager staggered backward, eyes wide, then stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Boy, that felt good," Himchan said once they were alone again.

"How dare he say that Zelo should've been poisoned," Youngjae snarled.

"And he accused us of being lazy!" Daehyun's eyes flashed. "We work harder than anyone else I know."

"But man, did he look surprised when we got him with that juice," Jongup said, suppressing a grin.

"It's not my fault, is it?" Zelo said, sounding troubled. "Should I be dancing with you guys?"

"Of course not," Yongguk said, ruffling Zelo's hair. "Our manager's just . . . "

"Being a jerk," Himchan said.

"Yeah, that's it," Yongguk said. "But Zelo, don't feel bad that you drank that stuff; there was no way of knowing it was drugged. And don't push yourself too hard right now or you'll end up worse than you were before."

"You need to rest," Himchan added.

The group fell silent, and Yongguk found himself looking at the multicolored streak their juice left on the hotel carpet.

"The maid's gonna have one heck of a cleanup," Himchan said.

Everyone laughed, and their happy demeanor soon returned. It was hard to stay depressed when there were six boys present. And ice cream.

Zelo took another bite of ice cream before handing the container to Jongup with a grin. "So that's what you look like when you're angry, Jongup! Wow, I can see why our manager was so scared! That's awesome that you were defending me."

Jongup smiled, took a bite of ice cream, then laughed. "Come on, shut up, Zelo." He passed the ice cream to Daehyun, who took two bites and was on his third before Youngjae yanked the container away from him.

"Hey!" Youngjae said. "Give me some!" After stealing the container back from Daehyun, Youngjae took another bite before passing the container to Yongguk.

"There's only a bit left," Yongguk said, taking a bite himself and licking the spoon before passing the last of it to Zelo.

All eyes were on Zelo as he took the last bite of ice cream with his eyes closed, savoring the taste. Then he took the container, turned it upside down, and poured the remaining melted ice cream over the juice stain they'd made. "That's better," he said happily.

Everyone laughed, lovingly hitting Zelo and wrestling with him until they finally fell back against the bed.

"What the — is that your elbow?" Jongup asked.

"No, it's a bottle of juice," Daehyun said, pulling it out from underneath Jongup and tossing it to the floor.

"That's better," Jongup said, nestling into the mattress.

"What should we do now?" Youngjae asked sleepily.

"Probably practice some more," Himchan said with a yawn.

Everyone groaned in agreement, but everyone also knew that there was no way it was going to happen.

Yongguk started to drift off, but was then jolted awake by Zelo's burrowing into his side for comfort.

"This is nice," Zelo muttered.

Jongup was next to Zelo, his head underneath Yongguk's left arm, and Youngjae was resting one leg over Yongguk's right arm. Yongguk looked over at Himchan to see that both Daehyun's arms were draped over Himchan's stomach. He smiled, then let out a tired, "We are B.A.P."

"Sleeping," Himchan replied.

And they did.


	7. Staying In

Yongguk opened his eyes the next morning, trying to move his arms and legs to stretch and finding himself completely pinned by other members who were still asleep. He sighed and lifted his head, the only mobile part of his body, to check the time. It was already ten o'clock in the morning, and though their concert wasn't until the next day, Yongguk knew they would have a hard day of practice ahead of them. So he laid back down and closed his eyes, reveling in the semi-conscious state of partial sleep until Youngjae stretched, hit Daehyun on the shoulder, and caused a chain reaction of groans and involuntary spasms that woke up the rest of the group.

"What time is it?" Zelo yawned.

"Ten o'clock," Yongguk answered.

"That late?" Jongup said.

"What's for breakfast?" Daehyun asked.

"We should probably start practicing," Himchan said. "Did everyone sleep well?"

"My back itches," Youngjae said.

"I have to use the bathroom," Jongup said. "Get off my leg, Daehyun."

"Are you feeling better, Zelo?" Yongguk asked.

"Much, hyung," Zelo answered.

The group paused and checked to make sure Zelo's words were true, and they all breathed a silent sigh of relief when they saw that both his color and vibrant spirit had returned.

"Drink some more tomato juice," Himchan said, tossing Zelo a bottle that had been lying on the floor.

Zelo needed no convincing. In under a minute, the bottle was finished off and tossed someplace for the maid to get later.

"Boy, you can really drink that stuff, can't you, Zelo?" Daehyun said.

"That's why none of us could beat him at that juice drinking contest we had last night," Youngjae said. "My breath still smells like grapes."

"We'd better move to another hotel room, gang," Yongguk said. "The maid's got a big job to do in here, and if we're here, she won't be able to work." He frowned at the large streak on the carpet and pulled out his wallet, everyone else doing the same. After all six of them chipped in for the maid's tip, Himchan came up with the idea to give her a picture of B.A.P that was signed by all six of them. After all, they were famous. If she knew who they were, then she'd be overjoyed to find something of theirs in her possession. If not, then at least she'd be able to sell it for some money.

"Why do you sign your name as 'kitten,' Zelo?" Daehyun asked.

"It was during our debut, remember? They asked me what animal I was most like, and I just blurted out kitten," Zelo said.

"I guess it fits," Jongup said.

"Come on, everyone, help me get me and Yongguk's stuff out of the hotel room," Himchan said.

"Why?" Youngjae asked.

"After what happened on the Los Angeles streets yesterday, I don't want to take any chances having our stuff stolen," Himchan said.

Everyone agreed and soon the hotel room was cleared out of any stuff that B.A.P would regret having stolen.

"We should start practicing," Yongguk said. "Which hotel room should we do it in?"

"Because we can't go outside," Jongup sighed.

"Unless you want to get mauled by fans," Himchan said.

"Or kidnapped," Youngjae said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"How about me and Youngjae's room?" Daehyun said. "That way we won't have to go out for breakfast."  
"You brought enough snacks for breakfast?" Himchan asked.

"He brought along enough snacks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week," Youngjae said, nudging Daehyun with a smile.

Everyone piled into Daehyun and Youngjae's room, and within five minutes the room was converted into a dance studio by pushing the beds aside and marking the center of the dance floor with several pieces of tape. Zelo sat on a nearby bed, six bottles of tomato juice near him, and the practice began.

Yongguk thought that Zelo would simply be there for moral support, but he actually turned out to be a great help during their practice. After each run through of the song, Zelo pointed out errors in the choreography or certain dance moves that needed to be sharpened or intensified for better visual stimulation.

"Daehyun, during the second chorus, make sure to snap your arm back in and freeze for a second before sliding to the left," Zelo said. "Besides that, you guys looked perfect."

"You're really good at this," Youngjae said.

Zelo shrugged. "We practice, don't we? We're all really good, but I think we could get even better if we had a member step out of the choreography every now and then to watch us and see how our dances would look from an audience angle. What do you think, Yongguk-hyung?"

Yongguk was already nodding. "I think that's a great idea, especially for now since we're not in the dance studio and can't see ourselves performing the dance since there aren't any mirrors."

"It's just like onstage," Himchan said. "When you're up there, you need to remember how the dance _feels_ , not how it looks in a mirror."

"But I'm sure the fans would like it just as much if we just stood up there and did a bunch of body rolls," Jongup said.

"And took our shirts off," Youngjae said.

Their laughs turned to groans as they considered this, and they ran through their song list one more time before taking a break for lunch.

"What's for lunch, Daehyun?" Jongup asked as they lounged on the beds and caught their breath after practice.

"Well, I brought some kimchi and ramen," Daehyun said. "You guys know what that means."

Yongguk licked his lips, already savoring the taste of such a nostalgic dish. "Army stew."

"That's right; all I've got to do is heat it up."

Lunch was prepared and served individually this time, but everyone still reclined on Zelo's bed as they ate due to habit.

Himchan was busy going back for seconds when there was a knock on their door.

"Did you — " Yongguk began.

"No, I didn't," Himchan replied, opening the room door with a frown. He stepped back as their manager entered. Everyone visibly stiffened.

"Hello, you guys," he said, bowing. No one bowed in response, but simply watched and waited to see what he would do.

"What do you want?" Yongguk asked coolly.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior last night," he said. "My wife called, she and I had an argument, and after that I — anyway, the things I said weren't right. I ask you for your forgiveness, and will reward you all with as much Korean barbecue as you can eat once this tour is over and we get back to Korea."

At the mention of food, everyone brightened. They passed a glance all around, then looked again at their manager.

"We forgive you," Himchan answered for everyone.

"Thank you," their manager said. "Hyungs," he quickly added, leaving the room before anyone had time to gasp.

Yongguk and the rest of the group sat in shock for a few seconds, stunned by their manager's behavior. "I can't believe he just said that."

"I know," Jongup said in awe.

"Just goes to show how guilty he felt for the way he treated us last night," Daehyun said.

"And now we'll get Korean barbecue!" Zelo said.

Youngjae was chuckling. "At least he didn't slam the door on his way out like last night."

"Isn't that Zelo's job to slam doors?" Daehyun said.

"Yeah, when he's angry," Jongup said.

Zelo blushed. "That was only during puberty."

"Aren't you still in puberty?" Yongguk joked, knuckling the side of Zelo's face.

"Now you just punch the walls of the dance studio when you're angry," Himchan said.

Youngjae turned to Daehyun and pretended to punch him for a few seconds before sitting back and grinning at Zelo.

Zelo blushed a second time, then got off the bed. "I'm getting more stew," Zelo said, causing everyone to laugh.

Lunch was finished, and practice resumed. Halfway through the sixth song, Zelo couldn't take it anymore and jumped off the bed, performing his dance solo with perfection. After that, he joined the rest of the group in practice, doing just as well as if he'd never fainted. He followed the choreography, soloed perfectly, and laughed the entire time. After running through the song list a final time, Yongguk and the others fell onto the bed in exhaustion. It was good; they were finally B.A.P again.

Himchan glanced at the clock. "Exactly one day from now, we'll be performing our first ever American concert."

Yongguk nodded. "How does everyone feel?"

"We are B.A.P, yes, sir!" everyone shouted.

"Do you guys want to chance it and go out to eat?" Daehyun asked.

"I don't know," Jongup said. "It's dangerous out there."

"After being poisoned and almost mobbed to death, I don't think we're ready to brave the outside world just yet," Yongguk said.

"Let's stay in and eat more kimchi," Zelo said.

"I brought two jars of the stuff," Daehyun said. "Along with enough snacks to get us through a five-day weekend."

"Sounds good enough for me," Himchan said.

A simple dinner was prepared, and the group ate with a hunger that comes only from a six-hour-long dance practice session. Then, with stomachs full and spirits content, they sat down on the bed and practiced the vocal parts of their songs before sleep began to drag at each member in turn.

"Tomorrow's the big day, everyone," Yongguk announced.

"We have to get up at five and run through practice one more time before hitting the showers and getting outfitted for the concert," Himchan said. "After that is our makeup, then a quick fan chat before we hit the stage."

"We'd better get some sleep, then," Youngjae said.

"Yeah, we want to be in tip-top shape for our first ever American concert," Jongup said.

"B.A.P!" they all yelled.

Dinner bowls were tossed to the floor and somehow or another, a queen-sized bed held six. Six pairs of eyes closed, and they all dreamed of what the next day would hold when they were finally onstage and performing as one group to one nation. They knew America like the back of their hands, but soon, America would see them perform and finally know _them_ as well.

"Do you think so?" Zelo asked.

Yongguk frowned, keeping his eyes closed. He knew that it was still nighttime since there wasn't any light shining in through the hotel window. Why was Zelo awake at such an hour? It certainly wasn't time to get up yet.

"I'm positive," Jongup said. "You don't need to worry about it."

"But yesterday during our practicing, I could feel my body giving out," Zelo said. "I don't think I'm fully recovered from that drugged orange juice yet."

"My body was giving out, too," Jongup said. "We were practicing for hours, remember?"

"But what if I pass out or something while onstage tomorrow?" Zelo asked, now sounding worried. "What if I miss a step and throw everybody off?"

"Have you ever before?" Jongup asked.

"No, but I've never been so nervous in my life before," Zelo said. "I mean, this is our debut in America. What if I mess up?"

As Yongguk's sleep-sluggish brain began to put the pieces together, he started to realize what Zelo and Jongup were talking about. A pang of guilt went through him. He'd been so busy dealing with everything that had happened since they arrived in America that he didn't even consider the fact that the group might be nervous for their concert or scared that something might go wrong. Their group had performed in Korea so many times that Yongguk simply assumed they wouldn't be nervous any more, however, as Yongguk himself thought back on all their previous concerts, he realized something. Before each and every concert, he'd always felt a sense of nervousness, whether or not he was conscious of it. Each concert brought with it a feeling as benign as nerves or as intense as pure fright. And if he, their leader, felt such strong emotions before an unimportant concert, how much more would the younger members of the group be feeling these emotions right before their debut in America — one of the biggest concerts in their entire career?

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about it, Zelo," Yongguk said, sitting up. Even though the darkness, he could see Zelo's surprised expression, followed by a blush.

"I didn't know you were awake," he muttered.

"I don't think anyone's asleep anymore," Himchan said, sitting up as well.

"You're not the quietest, you know," Daehyun said, rolling onto his stomach and resting his chin on his arms.

"And tomorrow's the concert," Youngjae said, stretching with a yawn. "I doubt anyone expected us to sleep as long as we did."

"Sorry for waking you guys," Zelo said, blushing deeper.

"Don't worry about it," Yongguk said. "Everyone gets nervous."

Zelo sighed. "But what if I mess up and — "

"So what if you do?" Himchan said. "Everyone's human, and we've all messed up before."

"You just got to trust in yourself and do your best," Daehyun said.

"But I'm not used to being this tired after practice," Zelo said. "What if I can't make it through the whole concert?"

"Then we'll have an intermission," Yongguk said.

"Or we'll start a song that has mainly vocals and not much dancing," Himchan said.

"You act like we'll force you to keep going until you faint again," Jongup said.

"But this is America, guys!" Zelo almost shouted. "If we don't do well — "

"Zelo, come on. You think you're the only one who's worried and scared? We're all scared." Yongguk knew that he'd spoke the truth when he glanced around at the rest of the group and noticed they were all avoiding his eyes, not wanting to acknowledge it any more than he did. "This is our first concert in America; we're terrified."

Zelo's eyes went wide. "Really? I thought hyungs never got scared."

Yongguk let out a bark of laughter. "I wish that were true, but as Himchan said, we're all human. Just because we're a little older doesn't mean we don't get scared."

Zelo looked around. "Is that true, guys?"

Himchan frowned and punched the bed. "Yeah, Yongguk's right."

"That's why we're a team," Youngjae said.

"So we can rely on each other," Daehyun said.

"And you can rely on us," Jongup said.

"All of us," Yongguk finished, clapping a hand on Zelo's shoulder.

Zelo's worried expression finally broke as he looked around at all the other confident expressions around him. He smiled, then reached out to Yongguk and punched him on the shoulder. Yongguk punched Zelo playfully, then soon everyone was punching and pushing each other. Then they sighed and reclined next to Zelo.

"Tomorrow's the concert, but we're ready, team," Yongguk said. "Because we are . . . "

"B.A.P, yes, sir!"


	8. Preparation

The next morning was pandemonium. While everyone was fighting as to who took a shower first, makeup artists and clothing specialists ran back and forth, closely followed by their already-horse manager. Within the last two hours, their manager had pulled almost all of his remaining hair out as he contradicted and redid everything that everyone did.

"No, not that color!" he was saying to a makeup artist who rolled her eyes as she picked out a third base color to put on Zelo. Yongguk watched one of their many fashion experts pass him with clothing for Daehyun, and their manager was immediately on the man's heels. "What are you doing? I said black leather, this is dark brown!" He turned on his heels and faced another makeup artist who was busy on Youngjae, and he grabbed the eyeliner pencil from her hands. "No, brown eyeliner! Not beige!"

"We're never going to get to the concert at this rate," Himchan said, sitting down next to Yongguk.

Yongguk sighed. "He's always like this. At least the team takes it well." He watched Jongup taking a pair of leather gloves from one of their dressers, and Jongup was just starting to put them on to finish his outfit when their manager came over.

"What are you doing?" their manager asked, flustered. "I wanted these gloves to have spikes on them. Spikes!" Then he started tuging at the rest of Jongup's outfit. "And what's up with his shirt? Is he a hippie or part of a gang? Why are his pants not frayed at the top or ripped at the bottom? Where are his boots? Are you or aren't you a clothing expert — "

Their dresser had had enough. He suddenly grabbed their manager by the arm and forced him out of the hotel room, locking the door behind him. Then he sighed, straightened up, and returned to work. The rest of the dressers and makeup artists in the room let out a small cheer. B.A.P just started laughing. After that, everything went smoother, and soon they were all dressed and ready to go.

They filed out of the hotel room and found their manager sitting on the floor right outside their door. He stood up and straightened his clothing before looking each B.A.P member up and down.

"You all look excellent," he said. He turned to the makeup and clothing artists who stood behind B.A.P and bowed to them as well. "Good work."

Yongguk could see that they were trying not to roll their eyes as they bowed back.

"Okay, there's a fan meeting in thirty minutes. Concert's in two hours. Let's go," their manager said.

Yongguk nodded, and everyone followed their manager to his vehicle. As they drove to their destination, Yongguk's stomach growled. He looked at the rest of the group and noticed that they all, especially Zelo, looked rather pale. That's when he remembered that none of them had had any time to eat breakfast or lunch before leaving. Yongguk was about to open his mouth to say something, but Himchan beat him to it.

"We haven't eaten anything today," Himchan said. "We're kind of hungry; do you think we could stop off and get something to eat really quick?"

Yongguk saw their manager visibly wilt, but he complied without a word since he knew that an unfed dancer was just as bad as a fainting one. They stopped off at a grocery store to pick up several healthy snacks, then sprinted out of the store immediately after paying since several American girls recognized them.

"Those fans will . . . be the death of us," Daehyun panted as he tore open a bag with his teeth and passed the snack around.

"What is this stuff?" Himchan as he ate a few bites of it.

"I think it's called granola," Youngjae said, looking at the front of the bag.

"Really crunchy and sweet," Zelo said mildly. "Got anything a little less . . . American?"

"I got some pretzels and some nuts and seeds," Daehyun said. "And I accidently picked up a chocolate bar."

"If only you could've accidently picked up some macha ice cream," Jongup said.

"Or kimchi," Zelo said.

"Or Korean barbecue," Yongguk laughed.

"I did get several packages of beef jerky," Daehyun said, passing one to each member.

As they ate, Yongguk drilled each team member with the order of the songs they were going to perform that night. "So, Zelo, what's the fifth song that we're going to perform?"

Zelo blinked. " 'Power'?"

Yongguk shook his head. "It's 'Warrior.' "

" 'Power' is our second song, right?" Daehyun asked.

"No, it's our third," Yongguk said.

"Man, this is hard," Youngjae said.

"Kind of like surviving in Los Angeles," Himchan said. "I didn't know I'd have to worry about stuffed animals outfitted with cameras."

"Or vans looking just like our manager's," Daehyun said.

"Or deadly orange juice," Zelo said.

Everyone laughed.

The six finished eating just as they were arriving at their fan meet. After checking their smiles and appearances in the car's rearview mirror, they walked into the building the fan meet was at and presented themselves to their American fans, answering all their questions, whether dumb, stupid, or interesting.

"That's why I like being the youngest in the group," Zelo finished with a small smile and sent a wave of squeals through the crown.

"What's the best and worst thing do you like about the person sitting to your right, Zelo?" one fan asked.

Yongguk glanced over and saw that Zelo was looking over at Jongup, pausing to think of an answer.

"I like him because we're close in age, he's quiet, and I can always talk to him and he'll always listen. We always dance together, so that's fun," Zelo said. "Sometimes he leaves the bathroom door open after he's used it, and I wish he'd close it."

Yongguk closed his eyes and sighed a moment before opening them again. Fan chats always had some sort of embarrassing comment in it, but this wasn't very bad.

"Is there anything that one of you does with the other that you don't do with anyone else?" another fan asked.

Daehyun and Youngjae exchanged a glance.

"What about the ice cream song?" Daehyun said.

The duo began singing their made-up song, and Yongguk couldn't refrain from briefly pinching the bridge of his nose with his hand. Couldn't they give B.A.P some dignity and help them push their hard-core image?

Once Daehyun and Youngjae finished their song, Yongguk sat up straighter and hoped that questioning would turn to him so that he could help boost their group's image.

"But Zelo, isn't there something worse that you don't like about Jongup?" a fan asked.

Zelo thought for a moment. "Well, is he's nice, don't get me wrong, but sometimes when I'm being really . . . ah, cute — "

Yongguk could feel his stomach sinking as Zelo continued talking, discreetly trying to get Zelo's attention and shut him up before he said something that would not only plummet their group's reputation, but also be incredibly hard to explain since it was something specific to Korean culture and could be misinterpreted —

" — keeps kissing me," Zelo finished. "On the head."

The rest of the group snorted and couldn't stop laughing, but Yongguk buried his head in his hands, unable to take it. The fans were squealing and shouting, but Yongguk wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and stay there for at least a month.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" one fan said.

"He's like your older brother!" another said.

Yongguk blinked from inside his hands. Maybe these Americans understood Korean culture more than he realized. Breathing in, Yongguk looked up after a few moments, pretending that he had covered his face because he was laughing as well. He composed himself, flashed a smile at the crowd, and shrugged the comment off. Zelo would always be Zelo, and everyone in the group would be his respective identity as well. There was nothing he could do to change it; he'd just have to go with the flow. But that didn't mean that he couldn't use his own assets to rectify the dangerous situation they'd backed themselves into.

Pretending to not be paying attention, Yongguk tousled his own hair before he stretched momentarily, making sure to flex his muscles and evoke a wave of screams from the crowd. Then he looked at the crowd and smirked. There. Reputation, fixed.

Once the crowd calmed down, a question was finally directed to Yongguk himself.

"And why do you, Yongguk, like being B.A.P's leader and the oldest?"

Yongguk paused for a moment before answering the question. How could he pin down one reason? Being B.A.P's leader meant both crying and celebrating. It meant making sure that everyone looked up to and followed his lead out of respect and loyalty. As their leader, he had to make sure that everyone followed him, but at the same time he had to make sure that he was a leader worth following. If anyone made a mistake, blame landed on him, but successes were his fault, as well. Yongguk glanced over and looked at his teammates, smiling slightly.

Himchan was his right hand man. Himchan not only supported him in everything he did, but kept watch over the rest of the group and made sure that everyone treated him with respect. Because of Himchan, the rest of the group followed him better. Youngjae was the brains of the group. Whenever there was a problem to be solved, Youngjae was always the one to come up with a solution. Daehyun, the comic relief, was continually making jokes and causing everyone to laugh. Jongup was the calm in the storm. Nearly always, Jongup was the one who could keep his head during dangerous or tense situations. Zelo was the youngest and the light of the group. There was never a frown on his face, and even though he tried to defy authority every now and then, he helped keep the group's spirits up. Yongguk turned back to the girl who had asked the question. He knew the reason, several reasons, why he enjoyed being the leader of B.A.P, but he also knew what the fans wanted him to say. He'd been to enough fan chats in Korea to know how to act. American or Korean, everyone was the same in this respect. So, inwardly cringing and outwardly smirking, he answered her. "Because I got the most experience, baby."

The screams were deafening. Several girls fainted and one or two tried to rush them but were held back by the line of police officers standing near B.A.P. Once the crowd had calmed down, Yongguk felt their manager tap him on the shoulder, signaling that the fan chat was over with and that they should get over to the concert stage to warm up. With a bow and a final, "We are B.A.P, yes, sir!" they left amid screams and shouts.

Staving off partially-rabid fans, the team climbed back into the van and drove off, hardly saying anything as they drove to the concert.

"This is it," Daehyun said as they pulled up to the building and got out.

Yongguk could practically see everyone's tenseness. His own nerves were shot, and they hadn't even gone onto the stage yet. With a nod to everyone, Yongguk led the way into the building where they were about to perform. They went backstage and practically collapsed, not only from nervousness, but also because they heard fans somewhere beyond the stage curtain. They were screaming, but the fans weren't just screaming for B.A.P, they were screaming everyone's _individual name_. Yongguk bit his lip in nervousness, then let out a silent sigh. He looked at the group and saw everyone sitting on the edge of their seats as well, not doing anything. They were waiting to see how he would react and what he would do. Wondering how he would handle the situation and the stress. Watching him.

Yongguk stood up. "All right, gang, in a half hour we're going to be performing in front of America, so we need to be in peak condition. Jongup? Zelo? You two are our front dancers, so you're both going to need to stretch and limber up so you don't injure yourself. Daehyun and Youngjae, as our lead singers, you two need to drink some lemon and honey tea to warm up your voices — I know one of our makeup artists brought some of that stuff. Get some water, there's a microwave here somewhere, boil it . . . you know what to do. Practice some scales, too." As the four left, Yongguk turned to Himchan to see that he was smiling. "What?"

Himchan turned away. "Nothing. But it's a good idea to keep them busy so they don't start worrying. Got anything for me to do, boss?"


	9. Onstage

Yongguk blushed a bit. "You could make sure that Zelo and Jongup are actually doing their stretching instead of playing around. Or you could make sure that Daehyun isn't eating something right before a concert. Or you and me could practice some choreography. Your choice."

Himchan thought for a second. "I think I'll stay with you. Wouldn't want you to get lonely."

Yongguk smiled. "It's good to know that I won't be alone."

"But is that good or bad?" Himchan asked. They both laughed.

The two got up, took their positions, and practiced choreography to several of their songs before their manager came up to them.

"It's time to go, you two. Where is everyone?"

"We'll get them," Yongguk said.

"You've got one minute."

Yongguk turned and walked into an adjacent room, finding Zelo and Jongup sitting on the floor. They were halfway between stretching and wrestling, and they looked up with a smile at Yongguk when he entered.

"It's time, you guys," he said.

Their smiles vanished, and at Yongguk's words they both blanched and climbed slowly to their feet.

"Don't be nervous, guys," Himchan said from behind Yongguk, causing the elder to jump in surprise. He turned and saw Youngjae and Daehyun standing behind Himchan, and he looked closer at Daehyun, frowning.

"Did you eat anything when we got here, Daehyun?" Yongguk asked.

Daehyun shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to keep it down if I tried."

Yongguk looked at the nervous expressions on his team's faces, then inhaled. "We're a team guys. We're B.A.P. We can do this. Right?"

"Right," everyone said half-heartedly.

"I can't hear you," Yongguk said, raising his voice. "Are you warriors or aren't you? Do you have the power or don't you? Are you B.A.P or aren't you?!"

" _We are B.A.P, yes, sir_!"

Now seeing that everyone was relaxed and smiling, Yongguk brought the entire team into a group huddle, placing arms around shoulders. He leaned in with his head and the rest of the group copied him until their heads were all touching. "All right, everyone," Yongguk said in a low voice. "You know your parts, and you know what to do. This is it; we're B.A.P. Come on, guys. Let's do this." Then Yongguk led the group in their final chant, one that they said before the beginning of every concert. More than ever, they needed this chant now. Yongguk put his hand out, and going in order from oldest to youngest, they began the chant. "We are," Yongguk began.

"We are," Himchan repeated, placing his hand on top of Yongguk's.

"We are," Daehyun said, adding his hand to the group.

"We are," Youngjae said, adding his hand as well.

"We are," Jongup said, reaching out with his hand.

"We are," Zelo said, placing his hand on top of the pile.

Then, in unison, they pressed their hands down momentarily before throwing them into the air, shouting, "We are Best Absolute Perfect!"

Yongguk looked at everyone in turn, satisfied with the end result of their chant. Each and every team member was beaming with confidence. The nervousness was gone, and now they would be a group worthy of their name. They would do, and they would do perfectly.

The six broke apart and walked back into the main room to see their manager standing there impatiently, surrounded with multiple clothing, hair, and makeup artists. The artists descended upon B.A.P when the group appeared, placing finishing touches on their appearance before stepping back in satisfaction.

The manager bowed once. "Good luck."

B.A.P bowed and walked onto the stage. "This is it," Yongguk whispered, leading his team to the center of the stage. Then the curtain lifted.  
A scream loud enough to break the sound barrier rose as B.A.P finally presented themselves to America, and when Yongguk saw the audience, he couldn't help gasping. A sea — an ocean of fans were present just for _their_ performance, and practically everyone was waving a small B.A.P doll that was purchasable before the concert to show support for the group. The entire concert hall was filled with fans that were screaming his name, and Himchan's, and Zelo's, and Jongup's, and Daehyun's, and Youngjae's . . . even though they hadn't even introduced themselves yet. Yongguk bowed his head and blinked hard, swallowing down his emotions and feeling Himchan's hand on his shoulder for support. When he glanced over at his team, he saw that all their mouths were agape with surprise and wonder. Some of them were frozen in shock, some were near tears, but all were overjoyed.

Then the lights on the stage turned on, the song started, and B.A.P began dancing. Practice was nothing compared to this. This was a rush of emotions and adrenaline that Yongguk had never felt before, and with the adrenaline came a lack of tiredness even as they began their ninth song strong. There were no mistakes and no slipups. There was only music and dancing. B.A.P was here, finally.

As the eighth song began, Yongguk glanced over at Zelo, wondering if he was starting to get tired. Yongguk was relieved to see that Zelo was flushed with excitement and unable to stop smiling. Even in the middle of dancing, Daehyun's and Youngjae's high notes were on point, and Yongguk glanced over at Himchan and saw Himchan give him a thumbs-up to let him know that he was doing fine as well. The stage was perfect; the fans were perfect. B.A.P was perfect. And it was good.

After performing their entire song lineup, the crowd went wild, forcing B.A.P to come back not once, not twice, but five times for an encore. Finally, the concert was over, and the six returned backstage and collapsed onto a three-person couch. Letting out a long sigh, Yongguk looked over at his team. They were glowing. They were all smiles and excitement despite exhaustion.

"We did it," Daehyun breathed.

"We showed America who B.A.P is," Himchan said.

"And I didn't mess up," Zelo said.

"No one did, and Zelo, we didn't expect you to," Jongup said.

"That was amazing," Youngjae said.

"It was beyond amazing," Daehyun said.

"And when we get back to Korea, our manager's going to treat us to barbecue," Yongguk said, licking his lips.

Everyone laughed.

"Until then, we can just feed off the crowd," Himchan said.

"I'll have my fan's screams boiled, not baked, please," Jongup said.

"But I still want real food!" Daehyun whined, causing a fresh wave of laughter to wash over the group.

"Don't worry, we'll all get real food," Yongguk said. "Not great Korean food but . . . good enough to last until we get back."

"Wow, that concert was amazing," Daehyun said.

"Can you believe we did it?" Himchan asked.

"That's right, guys! We did it!" Zelo squealed. "We're actually in America, and we actually just finished performing!"

"We've got dual citizenship now," Daehyun said with a smile.

"Korean and American," Youngjae finished.

"We are B.A.P, yes, sir!"

Everyone reclined on the couch, smiling through their exhaustion, but Yongguk sat up and looked over at his team. "Guys, you were all perfect. There were no slipups, and even if there were, there's no one else I'd want to be in America performing with. I'm proud to call you my teammates."

Yongguk only caught a moment of his teammates' sharing a glance. Then suddenly the entire team was upon Yongguk, crushing him with slaps and punches and hugs and laughter. After what seemed like half a day, they let him up, allowing him to breathe and move again. Inhaling deeply and punching each member in turn, Yongguk smiled, mirroring everyone else's expressions. They came to America and they conquered. Things had happened to them that might have prevented other groups from performing, but not them. Their friendship and teamwork was too strong to let circumstances cause their group to fracture or stutter. They were the best; they were the only. They were Best Absolute Perfect, and no matter what, they always would be.

Forever.

^The End^

* * *

 **A/N:**

I don't own them, but man, I love B.A.P. But you knew that already. Kekekekeke! ^.^


End file.
